


the sunshine captain and king of the seas

by kindlingchild



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pirate AU, Violence in Later Chapters, help me the typing the characters took years off my life, the violence is mild tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-09-25 19:49:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 24,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9841331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kindlingchild/pseuds/kindlingchild
Summary: "You know what else they call me, Suga-san?" There was a moment of silence. "They call me the kindest pirate alive."—Kageyama Tobio was a journalist working for the government in Miyagi.When he gets sent to document the base of one of the most uprising pirates around— the Karasuno Crows— he is afraid and all sorts of worried for his well-being.He gets caught by the Sunshine Captain of the crows, and an unexpected future lays out before him,ready for him to take the next step.





	1. becoming new

**Author's Note:**

> thE bEginNING OF MY FIRST MULTICHAPTER FIC??
> 
> im super excited to share this with all of y'all and i hope you enjoy my kagehina pirate au!

 

Kageyama looked down into the ocean, sharks swimming in circles around him, like he had always seen in the movies.

Of course, being a journalist usually holed up in his cramped office back in Miyagi, he would never have expected to find himself on the edge of a wooden board that was the barrier between his life and death.

Pirates— _pirates_ were chanting behind him, telling him to walk straight to his death for trying to steal their treasure

He wasn't _trying_ to steal their treasure, he was merely documenting their existence, but he understood why the pirates thought otherwise.

Kageyama turned around, casting his gaze at the smallest of the crew, with bright orange hair and a shining copper dagger in hand.

Kageyama turned back around, nearly getting knocked over by the sea breeze. He looked back down at the sharks, getting more vicious with every passing moment.

He supposed there could have been worse ways to die.

 

 

 

 

 

Kageyama Tobio was never adventurous.

He was a journalist for the government in Miyagi, single, and with no friends and family.

On his desk sat his computer, a single candle— wick unburnt and wax smooth— and his name plaque.

But today, there was something new.

He picked up the piece of paper, freshly printed, and read it.

Moments later, he found himself dashing to his boss' office, paper in hand, however his heart was beating thrice as fast as before.

He burst open the large mahogany door to his boss' office, said man looking up from his desk in confusion.

"Sir! I-"

"You will be going to document the Karasuno Crows' base, won't you Kageyama-kun?" The man stared straight at Kageyama with a piercing gaze.

"I... Yes Sir," Kageyama nodded.

"Wonderful. The helicopter will pick you up tomorrow at nine in the morning. Do not be late."

Kageyama sighed, slowly closing the door, before making his way back to his cubicle.

He was in for a whole lot of danger. 

    

 

* * *

 

 

The Karasuno Crows.

One of the most uprising pirate crews sailing through the seas, they conquered half of the treasure in Japan in less than two months.

Their leader, Hinata Shouyou, was known as "The Sunshine Captain of the Crows".

Fabled to have bright orange hair, an eyepatch the shape of a wing over his right eye, and a shiny copper dagger, but never truly confirmed.

Kageyama didn't want to confirm it, but he was going to have to.

 

 

 

 

 

The helicopter was hot.

It was stuffy and cramped—even more so than his cubicle— and he hated it.

He hated that he was being flown straight to danger, he hated that his boss forced him to go, he hated everything about his whole situation.

Hell, he even hated himself at this point for not fighting more.

An hour later, the helicopter dropped Kageyama off on an island far from Miyagi, with lush greenery and neither buildings nor people in sight.

The helicopter left, the pilot stating that he'd be back in an hour, and Kageyama watched as his only mode of transport flew away from him.

He was left stranded on an island, with only a clipboard, a camera, and a pen.

Kageyama turned, facing the large palm trees and the unknown that lay beyond.

He took his first step towards the forest, and he knew there was no turning back.

 

 

 

 

For thirty minutes, he wandered around.

He had wandered around until he found a small cave, a small wing carved into the stone at the entrance, and he carefully entered the odd structure.

Deeper inside the cave was a rope ladder, which Kageyama climbed down to find a door left open.

He walked inside, and he could've sworn he nearly slipped on gold.

The entire room was nearly filled with chests, some open and some closed, but all overfilled with gold.

There were necklaces, bracelets, lamps, bars of gold itself, gold in every form ever imagined.

He took off his jacket, the warmth making him uncomfortable, and also weighing him down. He threw it off to the side of the room, making a mental note to grab it before leaving.

Kageyama turned on his camera, taking photos of every nook and cranny, hurrying so as to get back to Miyagi as quickly as possible.

He was taking the last few photos, glad that his time in The Karasuno Crows' base was almost over and that he could nearly return home safely— when he heard footsteps.

"Daichi-san, we didn't leave any crew member behind, did we?" A high-pitched voice spoke behind him, followed by silence.

"Ay, mate, we're sorry we left you behind! We didn't think we left anyone behind," the voice said, and Kageyama turned around to see a whole group of people, dressed in rags and heavily armed

"Wait, you're not a crew member of mine," the smallest boy in the front frowned, drawing a copper dagger from his side.

He ran towards Kageyama, jumping halfway, and the last thing Kageyama remembered seeing was the boy's orange eye before he blacked out.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 Kageyama couldn't feel his legs.

He couldn't feel his arms either, nor his shoulders or neck. All he could feel was the throbbing pain in the right side of his face.

He groggily opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust his vision to the light. He was no longer in the room filled with chests, but a dimly-lit office with the same small boy walking back and forth while spinning the same copper dagger from before.

"Oh, you're awake," he said, and Kageyama noticed his knuckles on his right hand were bruised.

The boy laughed, "Yeah, you've got a tough skull."

"Anyway," he sheathed the dagger, "I'm assuming since you're here, you're either very stupid or you know who we are—who I am."

"Can I be both?" Kageyama muttered, and the boy laughed again. "I have an idea of who you are, but I'm not sure I'm correct."

"Hinata Shouyou, Sunshine Captain of the Crows," Hinata smiled, and Kageyama blinked, taking in the sudden powerful force he felt brush past him.

Hinata was exactly like how people had described him to be.

A short boy of around 160cm, the eyepatch shaped like a wing, the copper dagger, the bright orange hair— it was all true.

"Well lad, seems that you've been sent here from Miyagi based on the cards in your wallet." Hinata jumped onto the desk nearby, swinging his legs back and forth. "Course, I've not even the slightest clue what you planned to buy here except a ticket to certain death, but that's free of charge, courtesy of us."

Kageyama sighed with a soft laugh after, and he looked up to see Hinata looking down at him.

"Why are you laughing?" He tilted his head, and Kageyama smiled.

"I know that coming here would mean death, and honestly I don't mind it. I really don't mind at all."

Kageyama felt a tear roll down his cheek.

 

 

 

 

 

And so, there he was, standing on the plank.

Hinata had apparently spared him slight mercy by not killing him immediately, instead allowing him to choose his time of death.

As he was about to step off, he heard a loud cry.

"Shouyou! Shouyou! We found a letter in the trespasser's jacket!"

Kageyama turned to see an even shorter boy than Hinata running towards him, followed by a man with a buzzcut.

"Noya-san? Tanaka-san? Oh, um, thank you," Hinata took the letter, ripping off the seal and taking out the paper. Kageyama recognised the letter as the one his boss had given him; the one that was full of orders and threats.

Hinata put the letter back into the envelope, a moment of silence passing before Hinata pointed at Kageyama, "Crew, take him off the plank."

He was hustled off the plank, ankles and wrists untied, and Kageyama stared at Hinata in confusion.

Hinata shoved the letter into Kageyama's chest, staring at him straight in the eyes.

"Look lad, you don't deserve to die yet, so I'll give you a choice. Either you stay and work for me, or we send to back to Miyagi, and since the government treasures their prized journalist so much, they'll take you and give us the treasure."

Kageyama turned to the side, biting down hard on his bottom lip.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see Hinata's eye soften a bit, losing its stern gaze that it usually had.

"I'd... I'd like to stay."

He turned back to face Hinata, and the captain didn't even look the slightest bit surprised.

"Thought you would," Hinata smirked, before turning and waving his crew to take care of Kageyama.

Daichi and Sugawara ran over to Hinata, causing him to stop in his tracks, yet he did not turn around.

"Hinata, with all due respect, you just let a government official from Miyagi into our crew? Isn't that dangerous?" Daichi asked, and Hinata turned around with a large smile on his face, and his hands on his hips.

"I know pain in a man's eyes when I see em', Daichi-san." Hinata turned back around, adjusting his jacket as he did so.

"But Captain! Are you sure that this will be okay for us?" Sugawara called as Hinata walked away, and the small boy stopped.

"You know what else they call me, Suga-san?" There was a moment of silence. "They call me the kindest pirate alive."

Hinata opened the door to his headquarters, shutting it tightly behind him.

 

 

 

 

 

_'Kageyama Tobio,_

_You are Miyagi's prized journalist, and you will obey my word to go to the Karasuno Crows' base._

_I don't care if you find it dangerous, you find ways to survive and get back here alive to give me your report._

_Your job is on the line here, Kageyama. Do not disappoint me.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's the end of the chapter! thank you so much for reading and i hope you subscribe to be notified for further chapter updates if you like what i've written so far!
> 
> tumblr: thewritingloser ;; hmu if you wanna be friends or talk about anime together ٩( ᐛ )و
> 
> feedback is greatly appreciated!! xx


	2. kindest pirate alive

His leather coat knocked against the back of his boots with every step, and he adjusted the bandana atop his head before sitting on the desk.

"Here," Hinata tossed two pistols onto Kageyama's lap, the handles with a vintage floral pattern on them. "You'll need to be armed."

Kageyama stared down at the pistols— they were revolvers— and as he picked them up, he felt a surge of a strangely familiar feeling; but thought nothing of it.

Perhaps it was just the whole situation finally setting in, how he'd gone from nearly dying to sitting in the office of Hinata Shouyou and receiving weapons from the said man.

"Suga-san will train you." Kageyama felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around to see Sugawara waving a different revolver gently at him with a smile.

Hinata waved his hand as a signal of dismissal, and Sugawara beckoned for Kageyama to follow him.

They walked out of the office and off the ship, landing on the hot sand that paved the way between their island and the ocean.

Sugawara continued walking deeper into the forest, passing the cave that Kageyama was caught in less than a day ago.

"Um, Sugawara-san, where are we going?" Kageyama adjusted the loosely tied blue cloth around his waist, swiping off excess dust on his brown jeans.

The clothes he had received were dusty and old, but they made him feel more at home than his old work clothes ever did.

"The training grounds, of course," Sugawara pushed past trees, muttering warnings and cautions of traps as they went along.

Kageyama opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it as Sugawara pushed past the last of the palm trees, revealing the most beautiful sight Kageyama had ever seen.

A large waterfall flowed down swiftly from the mountain tops, with ledges sticking out of the sides— clear red flags shoved into each ledge.

Targets were set up on the lower ground, as well as ragdoll dummies and a small obstacle course. Ropes hung from the trees that swayed above them, Kageyama careful not to get entangled in any as he followed Sugawara to the centre of the training grounds.

"We'll train with one revolver first," Sugawara swung his gun around his finger, a skill all of the Crows seemed to have.

Kageyama placed one pistol on the ground, raising the other with one hand.

"Use two hands first, since you've never wielded a gun before," Sugawara instructed, demonstrating how Kageyama was to hold his weapon.

He folded his other hand over his first, and as if he'd done it before, fired the gun at the target perfectly.

The bullet pierced through the centre of the target, shocking both Sugawara and Kageyama.

"Have you done this before, Kageyama-kun?" Sugawara looked at him in shock, and noticed how Kageyama's hands weren't even shaking.

Kageyama merely shook his head, a little confused and a little afraid. He raised the pistol again, this time with one hand, and shot three consecutive shots straight through the centres of three different targets.

_It feels like home._

Sugawara pointed at the gun on the ground, and Kageyama picked up the second gun, holding it steady in his left hand. He aimed both guns at the two targets in front of him, and shot perfectly yet again.

"Kageyama-kun..." Sugawara waved for Kageyama to give him his revolver, and the elder examined the gun closely. "There doesn't seem to be any defects or assists..."

Kageyama stared blankly at his hands, at the revolver in one of them, at his brown boots.

He blinked, once, twice, his vision seemed to be getting fuzzy.

"Sugawara-san, I-" He felt himself falling, and he closed his eyes, the last thing he heard was Sugawara yelling for help— and he hit the ground.

 

* * *

 

_"Tobio-chan, Tobio-chan, Tobio-chan."_

 

 

 

 

 

Kageyama jolted upwards, a wave of pain hitting him directly after.

"Woah woah, calm down there Yamayama-kun," Hinata pat Kageyama's head, gently pushing him back down onto the bed.

"What happened?" Kageyama's voice was croaky, as if he had been unconcious for a long while.

"You passed out, didn't wake up for 7 hours," Hinata shrugged, glancing over at the small alarm clock beside the bed.

Kageyama could feel the bed shifting ever so slightly, telling him that he was in the dormitories in the ship.

"Wait, so what time is it now and how long did it take Sugawara-san to get me here?" Kageyama fiddled with the edges of the blanket, the feel of the gun in his hands still there.

"It's now 9pm, and Suga-san managed to get Tanaka-san and Noya-san to help him, so it took around half an hour," Hinata took out the two guns from before, placing them before Kageyama. "Suga-san told me you shot everything perfectly."

Kageyama blinked at the guns, the shape seeming to shift between one revolver to a different one. Each blink he would see a flash of a different gun, and it confused him greatly.

"I think I did," Kageyama rubbed the back of his neck nervously, hands trembling.

"Can you show me if you're feeling better? Do you think you might pass out? Ennoshita-san said it was from tramautic stress that you fainted," Hinata slipped off his bandana, revealling a heap of fluffy orange hair beneath.

"I probably can, where do I shoot?" Kageyama picked up the guns, his hands no longer trembling.

Hinata pointed at the small makeshift canvas target in front of the bed, and Kageyama pulled the triggers, both bullets flying directly to the centre.

"Oh my Lord, you really do have natural talent," Hinata shook his head with a laugh, "That's amazing."

Kageyama shrugged, placing down the guns on the bed. He couldn't get the echo of the gunshots out of his head, the feel of the handle lingering on his palms, the pull of the trigger on his index fingers.

"Rest for now, Kageyama," Hinata smiled as he stood up, tossing the bandana previously covering his head to Kageyama. "You seemed like you were having trouble sleeping with the light, so use that to cover your eyes if you sleep earlier than the rest tonight."

Kageyama merely nodded and watched as Hinata walked out of the room, wondering how one man could have such a golden heart and be a pirate.

"You're wondering how he's a pirate if he's so kind, aren't you?" A soft, monotonous voice rang through the dormitories, and from the shadows stepped out a tall and lanky man, bespectacled and unamused.

"Um, yeah," Kageyama twirled the black bandana in his hands, avoiding eye contact with the mysterious man.

"He's never killed anyone before," the man shrugged, and behind Kageyama called another voice, high-pitched and annoyed.

"Tsukki! We're supposed to let the new mate rest!" A shorter man with freckles and a large cowlick walked through the door, gently punching the taller one of the two in the arm.

"I'm Yamaguchi Tadashi and this is Tsukishima Kei. Mind him, he's unfriendly," Yamaguchi turned to Kageyama with a smile, earning a small sigh from Tsukishima.

Kageyama nodded again, unable to form any sort of words, and he watched as Yamaguchi pushed Tsukishima out of the dormitories.

He turned to look at the clock— 10pm— and wrapped Hinata's bandana around his eyes, blocking out the light.

He placed his head on his pillow, curling up into a ball beneath his sheets, and felt himself drift off into sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

_"Tobio-chan, Tobio-chan, Tobio-chan."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's the end of the chapter! thank you so much for reading and i hope you subscribe to be notified for further chapter updates if you like what i've written so far!
> 
> tumblr: thewritingloser ;; hmu if you wanna be friends or talk about anime together ٩( ᐛ )و
> 
> feedback is greatly appreciated!! xx


	3. cats, crows and owls

"Kageyama, get the anchor up would ya?" Hinata pointed at the chain that hung over the edge of the ship, connected to an anchor that sat on the beach.

Kageyama pulled it, nearly falling over backwards because it was so heavy.

"Bloody hell, Kageyama-kun. You can shoot perfectly but you can't lift an anchor," Sugawara said with a smile as he hoisted up the anchor in one pull, leaving Kageyama stunned.

Kageyama spun around, nearly crashing straight into Yamaguchi.

"Oh! Sorry Kageyama," Yamaguchi mumbled as he brushed past him, probably off to help ready the ship.

Everyone knew exactly what to do but him, and it wasn't a nice feeling knowing that there was something to be done, and that he was the only one who didn't know how to do it.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned back around to see Hinata, eyepatch and all, grinning.

"What?" Kageyama looked at him warily, "Wait, you still haven't told me where we're going."

Hinata laughed, reaching upwards to pat Kageyama's head again. "I also told you it was a secret, Yamayama-kun."

 

 

* * *

 

 

The sea breeze was unexplainably comforting.

It pushed his hair back past his ears, caused his bangs to fly to the sides of his face, and left a big smile on his face.

"You look oddly happy for someone who nearly died two days ago," an unfamiliar voice said beside him, and he turned his head to see a man with black hair and tired eyes. "I'm Ennoshita Chikara."

"Ah, Ennoshita-san, thank you for taking care of me when I passed out," Kageyama turned to him and bowed, and when he stood up Ennoshita was laughing.

"All I did as crew medic was evaluate why you had passed out. Hinata was the one sitting by your bedside for a long time," Ennoshita shrugged, and Kageyama narrowed his eyes.

"Hinata? But why?" Kageyama scratched his head as if he was thinking deep and hard, and Ennoshita just shook his head with a soft grin.

"You don't know how much that man cares for his crewmates, new or old," Ennoshita said, and Kageyama opened his mouth to reply, when the ship suddenly jerked to a stop.

"Kageyama! Can you go down first and survey the area?" Hinata yelled from the ship's deck. Kageyama nodded, hopping over the ship's edge and landing in the shallow waters below.

Knees drenched but shirt unscathed, Kageyama walked along the beach, checking for anything that might cause them trouble.

"Oh! What do we have here? A little bird has gotten lost on our island, has he?" A gruff voice called, and Kageyama turned around to see a broad man with a blonde mohawk and a lanky man with silver hair and green eyes.

"You know what cats do to birds?" The two men circled Kageyama in an awkward motion, their backs hunched and their arms swinging from side to side.

If Kageyama wasn't so focused on the fact that they looked hilarious in the way they were moving, he might have been a bit intimidated. A small smile formed on his face, one hand reaching up to cover it.

"We kill em'," the two men simultaneously reached for their swords, causing Kageyama to react by reaching for his guns.

An orange flash came dashing by, and suddenly the two men were on the floor, unconcious. Hinata stood beside the body of the silver-haired one, brushing himself off after keeping his dagger.

"Did you kill them?" Kageyama bent down to look at the man with the mohawk, placing two fingers by his neck. There was a pulse.

"Nah, just bonked em' on the back of their heads from a height," Hinata sheathed his dagger, turning around to face Kageyama with a sly smile.

The sound of bushes being rustled alerted the two, but Hinata didn't move, so neither did Kageyama.

"Are they bloody unconcious again?" A deep voice said in disbelief, and Kageyama caught a glimpse of the slightest bit of black hair between the greenery.

"When are they ever not unconcious, Kuroo?" Another voice called— unamused and monotonous.

"You make a good point." Out from the bushes stepped two men, one tall and the other short, a rather odd pair.

The taller had a large hat with a feather, balanced on the back of his head, his odd hair covering most of the front. The shorter had a bob, roots black and ends dyed blonde. He had a red bandana tied around his forehead, and three scratches across his left eye.

"Hinata!" The taller one turned to Hinata with his arms wide open and a large grin on his face, and Hinata ran over, hugging him. "Nice to see you again!"

"Same to you, Kuroo-san," Hinata pulled away, turning his head an signalling for Kageyama to walk to him. "This is my new crewmate, Kageyama. Kageyama, this is Kuroo-san, captain of one of our greatest allies."

Kuroo extended his hand out, and Kageyama took it. They shook hands, Kuroo giving him a large smile that he could only read as mischievious.

"Excuse them, Yamamoto and Lev can be idiots sometimes. I hope they weren't of trouble to you," Kuroo tipped his large hat towards the two, and Hinata shook his head.

"They weren't troublesome at all," he grinned, Kageyama shaking his head as well. Kuroo acknowledged this, putting his hat back on and spinning around, waving for them to follow him.

"Kuroo-san, are we just gonna leave them there?" Kageyama turned back to look at the two bodies lying on the sand, when the smaller man behind him lifted his head to look at Kageyama.

"We always do, it's fine."

 

 

 

 

 

"Welcome to our base!" Kuroo stretched a hand out towards the tents surrounded with logs and chests, a small campfire area in the centre of it all. "Courtesy of Inuoka and Shibayama who did most of the work."

"Kuroo? Did you find Yamamoto and Lev?" A voice said behind Kuroo said, and a short hazel-haired man with a red bandana atop his head and his hands on his hips appeared. "I was supposed to continue training Lev, but then he ran off once the Crows came."

The word "Yaku" engraved onto the rim of his bandana, he groaned, turning his head left and right in search of something or someone. Kuroo rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face.

Kageyama marvelled at the base, so small yet so large. It seemed that their emblem was a cat paw, carved into each chest and printed on each tent.

A sudden rustling of leaves could be heard from above, when Kageyama heard a twig snap felt a large weight drop onto him, crushing him into the ground.

"Oh oh! I'm so so sorry!" The weight was lifted off him quickly, and Kageyama groaned before flopping around onto his back to see the man who caused him to fall.

He was broad, with a yellow and black bandana around his forehead. His hair was rather odd, spiked to look like an owl, and in striking grey and black.

His eyes were bright golden, large and curious.

"Bokuto-san, I told you not to climb the trees." Kageyama turned around to see a man with emerald green eyes, black flowy hair and a slight frown.

Kageyama wondered why it had taken him all his twenty-two years of life to see a man that pretty.

"I'm sorry Akaashi," the broader of the two pouted, and 'Akaashi' sighed.

"It's alright." He faced Kageyama, brushing off his coat before saying, "Nice to meet you, Kageyama-kun. I'm Akaashi Keiji and this is Bokuto Koutarou, captain of Fukurodani Owls."

A familiar flash of orange dashed past Kageyama, and he saw Hinata warmly embracing Bokuto.

"Hinata! So good to see you!" Bokuto yelled, Hinata jumping up and down excitedly and nodding. "Your new crew member seems exciting."

Hinata nodded again, signalling something to Kuroo, to which he started yelling for everyone to gather. Once all crew was there— the Fukurodani Owls, Kuroo's crew, and Karasuno Crows— the three captains stood before the crowd, large smiles on their faces.

"Welcome all, to the annual training camp held at the Nekoma Felines' base! New members have joined Fukurodani, Karasuno and Nekoma alike, and we can't wait to see their skills in action!" Kuroo clapped his hands together, nodding his head so that his hat fell directly onto his joined hands.

"Let's begin, shall we?" He grinned, and Hinata jumped up, his dagger in hand, and threw it with excellent precision straight at the large tree behind the crowd, making another mark beside the many existing ones already.

The crowd begin cheering, Bokuto's cheers of "Hey hey hey!" being the loudest, and the crews slowly dispersed, reporting to their respective captains.

Kageyama ran after Kuroo, tapping him on the shoulder and gaining both the attention of Kuroo and Kenma, who was right beside him.

"What did you say your crew's name was again?" Kageyama blinked, and Kenma smiled softly.

"Nekoma Felines," he said, turning back around and continuing to walk towards where the rest of Nekoma's crew was waiting.

"Not a very pirate-like name, but we're more well-known that you think lad," Kuroo laughed, looking at Kageyama straight in the eye. "Better remember me and Bo mkay? We're pretty important to the Crows."

Kageyama merely nodded silently as he watched Kuroo turn and walk away. Suddenly, Kuroo pauses, turning his head to look back at Kageyama.

"Welcome to the Training Camp, Kageyama-kun."

The mysterious cat walked away, leaving the small crow confused and intimidated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's the end of the chapter! thank you so much for reading and i hope you subscribe to be notified for further chapter updates if you like what i've written so far!
> 
> tumblr: thewritingloser ;; hmu if you wanna be friends or talk about anime together ٩( ᐛ )و
> 
> feedback is greatly appreciated!! xx


	4. battle of bullets

  
Kageyama stood amongst his crew, listening to Hinata's instructions. Battle strategies, everyone's weakness, and how the most important thing is to have fun.

He blinked, his mind empty. He was supposed to have fun?

Kageyama turned around once the crew was dismissed, nearly walking straight into two people. He mumbled an apology, looking up to see who he had knocked into this time.

One had messy hazel hair, small eyes and a small smile. The other, with a buzzcut and large eyes, and an apologetic smile. Kinoshita Hisashi and Narita Kazuhito, if Kageyama could remember their names correctly.

They walked past eachother, Kageyama slightly dazed from how fast everything was moving.

"Yamayama-kun, you alright?" Hinata asked, walking beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're up next after Tanaka-san goes up against Yamamoto-san and Konoha-san."

Kageyama looked at Hinata, tiliting his head slightly to signal that he was rather confused. Hinata smiled at him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards the forest.

They walked through the forest, pushing past branches and moving between trees, to reveal Tanaka fighting with Yamamoto and another man, with light hazel hair.

They were sparring within a circle drawn on the ground, with some of Nekoma's crew and Fukurodani's crew surrounding them and observing their battle.

Kageyama watched closely as the three men clashed swords, loud sounds of metal scratching against metal filling the once serene forest.

The unidentified man from Fukurodani raised his sword in the air, stabbing it into the ground once Tanaka and Yamamoto had given up and fallen to the ground. The sword's leather handle had the word "Akinori" scribbled faintly in black over it, the letters fading everytime the man grabbed the sword.

"Woo! Konoha! Nice one!" Bokuto called, his voice merging with the applause from the audience. 'Konoha' bowed, pulling his sword out from the ground and gently nudging Tanaka and Yamamoto to get up.

He walked over to Kageyama, sheathing his sword as he did, and extended out his hand. "I'm Konoha Akinori, jack of all trades in Fukurodani. You're Karasuno's new kid right?"

Kageyama nodded, shaking Konoha's hand. He flashed him a grin before walking away, leaving Kageyama to bask in the feeling of power he left behind.

It felt all so familiar to him, oddly like he belonged in the pirate life; like he had always been doing this— clashing swords, looting treasures, sailing the seas.

"Yamayama-kun, you're next!" Hinata said before pushing Kageyama into the circle, where he saw Kenma and Akaashi stretching.

Kageyama was stunned, blankly staring at the two pirates before him.

"You're supposed to fight us, Kageyama-kun," Akaashi smiled, adjusting his long black jacket and he walked over to Kageyama. Kageyama noted that Akaashi's jacket looked a whole lot similar to Hinata's. "So good luck."

"But I only have guns?" His sentence came out as a question, but either worked. He blinked, tilting his head slightly.

"Well, so do we." Akaashi shrugged as he pulled out two long revolvers, owls printed in black on the white handle, and the rest of the design a mixture of black, white and gold.

Kenma nodded in the background, pulling out two revolvers of shorter length, red and black.

Kageyama pulled out his own two vintage floral revolvers, making a mental note to go and spray paint them later.

"Are you ready Kageyama? You have to either force us out of the circle, or cause us to be too exhausted to continue further," Kenma spoke, adjusting his hair before picking his revolvers off the floor. Akaashi stood at the opposing side of the circle from Kenma, smiling at Kageyama encouragingly.

Kageyama nodded, gripping the handles of his revolvers a little tighter as he walked over to position. He did not want to faint again, that would cause Ennoshita more work.

A red flag was lowered down beside Kenma by Bokuto, the captain grinning cheerfully as the flag swayed with the wind.

"Go!" Bokuto raised the flag, setting and Akaashi and Kenma dashing towards eachother, stopping when they clashed with their guns crossed in the air.

Akaashi pulled the trigger on his guns, sending bullets flying, causing Kenma to stagger backwards.

Kageyama stood awkwardly away from all the action, gripping his guns tightly, unsure of what to do.

He felt a tap on his back, and he turned around to see Hinata with a soft, encouraging smile.

"Just have fun, Kageyama," Hinata said, nudging him closer to the two pirates in battle. Kageyama nodded, a new sense of determination welling up within him, and he looked back to Akaashi and Kenma.

The two men were now shooting the ground at their feet, trying to force eachother out of the circle.

Kageyama ran towards Akaashi, clashing against the man with one gun, using the other to fire rapidly with precision at Kenma's feet.

He turned his attention back to Akaashi while still shooting at the spaces between Kenma's feet, and saw the other trying to aim downwards and shoot the ground at his feet.

Kageyama raised his knee, the guns just low enough that he was able to knock them out of Akaashi's hands, and used his foot to lightly kick Akaashi out of the circle.

He turned back to Kenma, his bullets still hitting exactly where he wanted them, but it would only be a matter of time before Kenma found an opening to attack.

Kageyama watched closely at Kenma, and when the other's eyes moved downwards to look at Kageyama's feet, he jumped.

Kageyama couldn't jump as high as his captain— almost nobody could— but he could still jump at an amazing height.

Kenma looked up, slight shock on his face, and in mid air; Kageyama shot a circle of bullets around Kenma, causing the other to stand dead still.

Kageyama landed on the ground, bolting forward before Kenma could move, and gently pushed him out of the circle.

He looked around— he was alone in the circle.

Kageyama looked down at the ground, raising a gun in the air, shooting the skies above him.

He heard the crowd start cheering, looking up to see Akaashi and Kenma smiling softly. He turned to see Hinata jumping up and down excitedly, a large grin on his face.

"You really do have a natural talent, don't ya lad?" Kuroo said behind him, patting his head and giving him a pat on the back. "Well done."

"Welcome to the family, Kageyama-kun!" Bokuto yelled, running in front of Kageyama and hugging him tightly.

Kageyama grinned, a warmth growing in his chest and spreading between his veins and all over his body. He looked around at all the pirates, everyone gathered around the circle in order to watch his previous match, with proud smiles on their faces.

They were his family now.

 

 

 

 

 

_"Tobio-chan."_

_"-guns, Tobio."_

_"Kageya-"_

_"-kawa, don't!"_

_"Tobio, I'm sorr-"_

 

 

 

 

 

Kageyama bolted upwards, a small bead of sweat dripping down from his forehead. He looked left and right, searching for something, someone.

Next to Kageyama sat Hinata, a small lamp lighting the plank of wood he was using as a table. Papers and pencils were strewn across the floor, maps and words scribbled onto the papers— pencils blunt.

"Eh? Kageyama? Are you okay?" Hinata blinked owlishly, and Kageyama just shook his head.

"It's nothing," he said, crawling over to Hinata's futon and switching off the light.

"Oi! I need to work!" Hinata frowned in the dark, and Kageyama rolled his eyes, an unamused expression forming on his face.

"Can't work if you don't have enough rest. It's one in the morning, Hinata," Kageyama sighed, glancing over at the clock mounted on the wall; dimly lit up with the light installed in it.

"Fine fine," Hinata crossed his arms, pushing away his work materials and laying down on his futon.

Kageyama smiled, looking around the rest of the room. The rest of Karasuno were sleeping soundly, all curled up into their sheets and snoring softly.

"Goodnight, Hinata," Kageyama lay down on his own futon, grabbing the sheets and wrappig himself in its warmth.

"Night, Yamayama-kun," Hinata says from behind him, and a few moments later, Kageyama hears soft snores from Hinata's direction.

He stared at the ceiling, arms spread out beside him. He thought about what had happened over the past week or so, about the voices he'd been hearing, about being a pirate.

He thought about how it always felt so familiar.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and exhaling, before letting sleep take over his body and mind.

 

 

 

 

 

_"Let's play again, Tobio-chan."_


	5. unexpected encounters

There was a mint green flag in the distance, swaying in the wind.

They had left Nekoma's island not too long ago, sailing back to their home— when a mint green flag had been spotted heading in their direction.

"Asahi-san, telescope," Hinata ordered, and Asahi looked through the telescope from the crow's nest at the top of the ship.

"It's Seijoh!" Asahi yelled down, and Hinata's eyes widened before he started pointing in all sorts of directions and yelling off orders at a speed everyone but Kageyama seemed to understand.

Yamaguchi dashed to the steering wheel, Ennoshita beside him with his briefcases full of first aid, everyone else scampering about preparing their weapons for battle.

"Hinata, what's going on?" Kageyama grabbed the smaller man's shoulder, and he turned around with a smile on his face— yet Kageyama could sense the worry and fear hidden behind it.

"Battle, Yamayama-kun," Hinata grinned, running off and blending in with the crowd of bustling crewmates. Kageyama grabbed the guns at his hilt, mentally preparing himself for whatever enemy was to come.

 

 

 

He was not prepared for the enemy that came.

The ship was larger than theirs, more detail carved onto the sides of the ship, the wood mahogany and the sails pale white. The flag was mint green, with a picture of a crown with leaves surrounding it in white printed on it.

The ship halted beside Karasuno's, the crew— with the exception of Yamaguchi and Ennoshita— stood in a line with their weapons, ready for whatever was to come.

A tall man appeared at the edge of the ship, with flowy brown hair and a large white pirate hat, a single navy blue feather sticking out of it. He had brown eyes full of mischief, and a smile that read nothing but bad.

"Karasuno Crows! We meet again," the man laughed, "How wonderful."

"What do you want, Oikawa?" Hinata growled, spinning his dagger in his right hand.

'Oikawa' looked around, a smirk on his face, when he spotted Tobio. His sly expression quickly switched to shock.

"Oh my, oh my! Well if it isn't little Tobio-chan." He smiled, and Kageyama staggered backwards, a sudden realisation hitting him.

_"Tobio-chan, Tobio-chan, Tobio-chan."_

The world was spinning, and then it was black.

 

* * *

 

_"Tobio-chan, are you ready?" Oikawa walked over to Kageyama, ruffling his hair when he got within an arm's reach._

_Kageyama nodded, his two pistols at his hilt, locked and loaded and ready for fire. They were off to a village nearby, hearing they had loot to pillage, Oikawa immediately setting into action._

_"Oi, Shittykawa, we're reaching soon," Iwaizumi said from behind, and both Oikawa and Kageyama turned around to face the strongest swordsmen in the crew._

_Oikawa smiled, patting Kageyama on the shoulder gently, before walking off with Iwaizumi towards the helm of the ship._

_Kageyama looked up, the bright sun causing him to squint his eyes, and he saw the flag of his crew swaying with the wind._

_It was a dark blue— not quite navy— and white, with the words "Kitagawa Daiichi" scribbled over it._

_It was his home._

 

* * *

 

Kageyama awoke to the sound of gunfire and the smell of smoke and ash.

He was again in his bed, Ennoshita sitting by his side. A relieved expression flooded his face when he saw Kageyama awake, pressing his hand to Kageyama's forehead.

"You think you can fight?" Ennoshita pressed two fingers to his wrist, nodding after fifteen seconds. Kageyama looked around, his vision seemingly normal, and nodded.

Ennoshita placed Kageyama's two guns on the bed before him, a small smile on his face.

"Have fun out there," Ennoshita said as he stood up, packing his medicine and bandages. Kageyama hopped out of bed, grabbing his revolvers before dashing towards the exit.

He rushed up the stairs, only to see Oikawa and Hinata battling, a small dagger against two revolvers with blades on the ends of the handles.

Kageyama only had good memories of Oikawa so far, yet something about the man made him so angry and afraid.

Oikawa suddenly moved his hand, shooting a bullet in Kageyama's direction. Kageyama instinctively dropped down, rolling to the side and shooting the wood at Oikawa's feet.

"Oh? Tobio-chan still seems to have the unbelievable talent he had before," Oikawa mocked, pushing himself away from Hinata and shooting at the shorter of the two.

Kageyama was lost, his head suddenly dizzy, and his vision suddenly blur.

"Leave him alone!" He heard a voice yell, and a bright flame could be seen slashing down in Oikawa's direction.

"So the Sunshine Captain finally decided to pull out his power, all for his little crewmate," Oikawa smiled, and Kageyama squinted his eyes; Hinata's copper dagger burned bright, a flame licking the tip and the sides of the blade. A single burnt match could be seen on the floor nearby.

"Hinata!" Daichi called in the distance, and a gun came flying in Hinata's direction, low and steady. The gun hit Oikawa in the back of his left knee, causing the man to cripple and fall down with a pained expression on his face.

"Oikawa!" Iwaizumi ran over to him, shocked to see a cut slicing through Oikawa's knee brace and grazing his skin.

There were orders of retreat, and Kageyama lay on the floor as he watched the men in white and mint run back onto their ship and sail away.

The crew took no hesitation to set to work, grabbing pails of water and towels to put out the fires, Kinoshita and Narita grabbing extra wood from storage to patch up the holes.

"Kageyama, are you alright?" Kageyama looked up to see Hinata with an outstretched hand towards him, a cut on his cheek and a bruise on his forehead.

Kageyama nodded, grabbing Hinata's hand and hoisting himself up.

"That was Aoba Johsai, also known as Seijoh. They're-"

"I know who they are," Kageyama whispered, and he heard Hinata drop his dagger on the floor— no longer flaming. "I know who they are."

"What do you mean? What do you remember?" Hinata didn't seem surprised, strangely, but more intrigued— maybe a little disappointed.

"Half of them— I saw— they were part of an old band of pirates called Kitagawa Daiichi, weren't they?" Kageyama blinked, vision sharpening and blurring repeatedly. Hinata nodded, his expression a mix betwern slight shock and dismay.

Hinata nodded, picking up his dagger and sheathing it.

"Well, maybe you've just seen them on a poster or something before-"

"No, Hinata, I had a dream that I was there. With them, in Kitagawa Daiichi." Kageyama grabbed Hinata by the shoulders, shocking the orange-haired boy, "I was part of the crew."

"O-Oh, well, it's just a dream, isn't it?" Hinata laughed, his breath slightly shaky. He nudged off Kageyama's hand gently, adjusting his bandana before walking towards the captain's quarters.

The face of a worried and disappointed captain ingrained itself into Kageyama's mind, leaving him confused and scared.  



	6. lost

There were four people he remembered.

Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime, Kindaichi Yuutarou and Kunimi Akira.

Their names rolled off the tip of his tongue as if he'd known them his entire life, which was odd, considering he had spent majority of his life sitting in an office and typing endlessly away on a keyboard.

Maybe he was just dreaming— or perhaps he wasn't, given Hinata's reaction.

Kageyama was tired, confused, and just wanted to know what was going on; but no one seemed to have the answer.

A chill ran down his spine at the thought of Oikawa glaring him down, his jet black revolvers pointed straight at his head and heart.

And then there was Hinata Shouyou, with his flaming blade and fake smile, anxiety and doubt hidden behind all his cheer.

Kageyama curled his knees to his chest, pressing his back against the wall behind him, pillows falling off the sides of his bed.

The bed seemed to provide him the most comfort at this point, which Kageyama saw as pathetic. But, what was one to do when stuck in such a situation?

A stray tear made its way down Kageyama's cheek, the man wiping it away with his thumb as he reached for his guns on his bedside table.

He looked around the room, spotting small cans of spray paint in the corner of the room— presumably Nishinoya and Tanaka's.

The spray paint was a deep orange and a jet black, intriguing Kageyama and causing him to make his way off the bed and walk over to them.

He picked up the two cans, looking at the gun in his other hand and the second gun on the bedside table, a mental image of Kenma and Akaashi's guns suddenly flashing in his mind.

"Better than crying, right?" He laughed softly to himself, another tear slowly rolling down his cheek as he smiled.

 

 

 

"Kageyama?" He heard Hinata's voice behind him, and Kageyama turned around to see someone he did not recognise.

The man before him was the same height as Hinata, with the same clothes, but everything else was different.

His eyes were tired and lost, his hair was dishevelled and flat, and his smile non-existent. There was a shine and a flair that was no longer there, and without it, the man was not someone Kageyama could call Hinata.

"Hinata?" Kageyama blinked, the name sounding weird since he was addressing someone who wasn't him— wasn't truly him.

"What are you doing?" Hinata knelt down beside him, and Kageyama could see the cuts on his face healing, the bruises fading, but everything else seemed to have worsened.

His eyebags were worse upclose, his eyes seemed puffy from recent crying, and there was a cut on his bottom lip.

"Oh, um, spraypainting," Kageyama held up the guns he had just finished painting, the smell of chemicals stronger than the smell already in the air and all around Kageyama in the small storage room. "I saw Akaashi-san and Kenma-san do this to their guns too, so I did it."

"Ah, that's nice," Hinata smiled, a soft and tired smile. Kageyama furrowed his brow; Hinata was hiding something.

He dropped his guns and grabbed Hinata by his shoulders, shocking the shorter of the two. Kageyama stared straight at his lifeless eyes, thinking that if he stared hard enough, he'd be able to give Hinata some life.

It didn't work.

"Yamayama-kun?" Hinata tilted his head, and Kageyama shook his head in reply.

"What's wrong?" Kageyama asked, and Hinata looked taken aback for a second before waving the question off and shaking his head.

Kageyama began to shake Hinata a little, something within him telling him to do whatever he can to get his old captain— the old Hinata— back.

"K-Kageyama?" Hinata stammered, and Kageyama noticed his eyepatch shifting off its usual position, but he continued shaking Hinata anyway.

"Tell me what's wrong," Kageyama said gently, staring straight at Hinata, desperately wanting a shine, a spark, _a glimmer_ of Hinata's usual cheer to make its way onto his face again.

And the first tear fell.

And then the second, third, fourth, fifth, and soon Kageyama couldn't count them anymore.

Kageyama wrapped his arms around Hinata, just the two of them in the small storage room filled with the smell of chemicals.

"I don't know why I'm crying," Hinata laughed, reminding Kageyama of himself only hours ago. Kageyama ran his fingers through Hinata's hair, pulling him closer.

"Well, you are anyway, so just let it out," Kageyama mummered, and the room went silent with only the soft sound of Hinata's sobbing echoing off the walls.

Kageyama noticed Hinata's eyepatch was damp, and touched the soft fabric, whispering his request to Hinata. The captain nodded, and Kageyama slowly removed the wing, revealing a large scar across his eye, his pupil an eerie grey.

"What happened?" Kageyama traced the scar with one hand, the other still around Hinata. Hinata just shook his head, and the question faded away from Kageyama's mind. "Now's not the time, is it?"

Hinata looked up at Kageyama, a small glimmer of something in his eyes, something that comforted Kageyama.

"I'm sure the time will come."

It was hope.

 

 

 

 

 

Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime, Kindaichi Yuutarou and Kunimi Akira.

The captain and crew members of Aoba Johsai, one of the strongest pirate crews sailing the seas. The ex-members of a crew called Kitagawa Daiichi.

Somehow, they were all related to Kageyama, but he couldn't remember.

"Yamayama-kun! Rise and shine! Time to train!" Hinata burst through the dorm doors, the dorm all empty but him.

Kageyama rubbed his eyes, throwing his sheets onto the floor and grabbing his newly painted revolvers.

He walked out with Hinata, the sun shining into his eyes, and he blinked to adjust to the sudden light.

He looked around; the fresh air and green trees a nice change from the smell of chemicals and the small, dark storage room he was in all day the previous day.

"Morning Kageyama-kun!" Sugawara called from behind him, and the rest of the crew members greeted him when they could.

They were all walking around, bustling with large cargo, and Hinata was ahead, climbing off the ship and beckoning Kageyama to follow.

Kageyama climbed down after him, slowly following Hinata, who was running ahead. Kageyama felt the sand under his boots, the wind in his hair, and he smiled.

The captain had got his cheer back, returning to his usual self, and Kageyama smiled as he watched the orange-haired man run past the trees and towards the training grounds.

The person he expected least to break down had, and Kageyama found comfort knowing that he wasn't alone in his battle with worries.

The crew around him, his captain, Nekoma and Fukurodani, he was part of their family  
now.

He didn't have to face anything alone anymore, and that made him smile wider than anything had before.


	7. the iron wall

  
"I see you haven't grown at all, Ennoshita."

"I see you've grown more blunt, Futakuchi."

Ennoshita and 'Futakuchi' began quarreling, throwing shameless insults back and forth at eachother.

"Who are these people again?" Kageyama bent down to whisper to Hinata, his eyes trailing from Futakuchi to the other strangers on the ship, all of them seemingly having their outfits in a similar shade of teal.

"Dateko, a distant ally," Hinata whispered back, turning around when he got a pat on his shoulder, shrugging Kageyama off.

Kageyama turned around as well, only to stumble backwards at the sight of a very tall man.

The man had an extremely serious expression, as if it was the only expression he had. Short, white hair lay on top of his head, not that Kageyama could see the very top anyway.

"Aone!" Hinata jumped up, a large grin on his face. A small smile formed on the man's face, breaking his previous stern expression. "Did you grow even taller?"

"No, I don't think so," the man said, turning to Kageyama with an extended hand, "Aone Takanobu. Nice to meet you."

Kageyama blinked; looking down at the hand that was practically twice his hand's size. He smiled as best as he could, taking the hand and shaking it, "Kageyama Tobio. Pleasure's mine."

Hinata looked around; searching for something. Both men turned their attention to the small captain, who looked at Aone curiously.

"Where's Moniwa-san?" Hinata asked, and Aone shook his head slowly.

"Moniwa-san, Kamasaki-san and Sasaya-san stayed on our ship," Aone said, "They're fixing it up."

"Fixing it up? Did something happen?" Hinata stared at Aone, curiosity filling his large orange pupils.

"We had a pretty bad fight with Seijoh. Retreated before it could get even worse," Aone shrugged, turning towards the side slightly, allowing Kageyama to see the shield hanging on the side of his belt.

It was unlike anything he had ever seen, a teal shield with the Dateko emblem in the centre, with spikes around the rim of it. The spikes were relatively sharp as well, from the looks of it.

"What is that?" Kageyama gently dragged his hand along the smooth steel, and Aone turned around with a small smile.

"My weapon," Aone said, before calls from the opposing ship rang through the atmosphere, signalling that it was time for Dateko to return home.

"Why is it a shield though? Don't pirates usually use guns and swords?" Kageyama stepped forward as he watched Aone walk away, catching up with Futakuchi. Futakuchi hung his arm around Aone's shoulder, as if they were brothers.

He turned his head, smiling something at Kageyama that was sly and genuine at the same time.

"They don't call us The Iron Wall for nothing, do they now?"

The teal flag waved in the wind as their ship sailed away.

 

* * *

 

 

The stars were shining brightly and the whole ship was asleep, but Kageyama Tobio stood looking out to the ocean.

"Can't sleep, Kageyama-kun?" Sugawara walked up behind him, patting him on the back with his unmistakable grin. Kageyama shook his head lightly, thoughts all there yet not at the same time.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sugawara flipped a penny onto the thick border that prevented bodies from carelessly flying off the ship.

Kageyama sighed, an unexpected tension in his shoulders released, and he shrugged lightly. "Just, I'm not sure who I am."

The mention of Seijoh from Aone had got his brain thinking again, about who they were, about who he was, and about _what_ he was.

"That's silly," Sugawara laughed, and Kageyama turned his head to the elder, tilting his head in confusion. "You're Kageyama Tobio."

"Yes but—"

"Kageyama Tobio, a crew member of Karasuno Crows, a remarkable sharpshooter, and someone who's managed to make Hinata genuinely happy in a long time."

Kageyama furrowed his brow, and Sugawara merely let out a soft breath, his eyes softening as he stared at the glistening ocean surface.

"Hinata's never usually genuinely happy. He's always got something bothering him but bottles it up and pushes it away, for the sake of us. For the sake of his crew, Kageyama," Sugawara turned his head to Kageyama, a soft and gentle smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"But now that you're here, he's only got one more person to protect, but for some reason he's trusted you to protect him more than he ever has for any of us."

A silence hung between the man and his mentor, a comfortable silence leaving Kageyama with shocking news to digest.

"I used to be the best shooter in the crew, you know," Sugawara chuckled softly to himself, looking back at the ocean, "Not anymore, I suppose."

"I'm sorry," Kageyama looked back at the ocean as well, tilting his head down to stare at his reflection on the water's surface.

Sugawara turned around, his back leaning against the ship's hull, putting a hand on Kageyama's shoulder.

"Don't be," Sugawara pushed himself off the hull, walking back towards the dormitories. Kageyama turned around, watching as Sugawara walked.

"I'd never be more honoured to have someone so treasured and so talented take my place."

Sugawara disappeared behind the door, leaving Kageyama with the empty silence of the night.

But Sugawara's words echoed loudly in his head, and the empty silence didn't feel so lonely anymore.


	8. please, tell me

_Dark. It was dark._

_He couldn't see anything but black, an endless void of jet black._

_He could feel._

_He could feel people pulling his ankles as if they were about to fall off, pulling his wrists as if they were meant to break. If he could see, he'd bet that they'd look red and bruised— abused._

_He could also feel water; raindrops falling from the sky. It was raining._

_He could hear too._

_He could hear screams, loud screams and soft screams, but all screaming for help. Pleas of mercy, probably falling on deaf ears._

_He too, was screaming. Screaming for help and mercy, but it seemed that no one was helping him._

_Until he heard running footsteps._

_They splashed in the puddles, creaking the floorboards. Kageyama recognised these footsteps, but whose they were slipped his mind._

_He was being pulled more, harder, and he could feel the wooden floorboards against his skin as he was dragged away._

_Suddenly, he was lifted up, and he felt himself being pushed onto a cushion. A chair, most probably._

_He could hear— blades?— cutting the wind, maybe a helicopter he was in._

_Whatever he was in rocked a bit, and two people sat beside him, before they started moving away._

_He couldn't hear the footsteps anymore._

_But he could still hear the screams._

_"Tobio!"_

 

 

 

 

 

Kageyama jolted upwards, a familiar feeling, but tears spilled from his eyes, and the whole crew was looking at him. Sugawara approached him carefully, carrying a small lantern.

"Kageyama-kun? You were screaming in your sleep."

Suddenly, Kageyama couldn't breathe. He felt his airways clog, and more tears spilled from his eyes, blurring his vision. He waved everyone away frantically, jumping out of his bed and rushing towards the exit.

There was an uncertain silence as he exited, and Sugawara put down the lantern, storming out the room as well.

"I'm telling Hinata."

 

 

 

 

 

Kageyama ran.

He ran as his tears fell, as his legs told him to stop, as his lungs wanted to collapse.

He found himself back at the cave where his pirate life all began, and he leaned against the hard rock, sliding down slowly and pulling his knees to his chest.

_"Tobio!"_

It echoed through his mind, rang through his chest and sent a chill down his spine. A voice so strangely familiar yet unknown, it scared him.

It scared him so, _so_ much.

"Kageyama!" He heard twigs crack and leaves rustle, and suddenly a hand was on his hunched back, and a light was above him.

He looked up, and Hinata was bent before him, a torch in his other hand. Kageyama let out a shaky breath, tears still falling, and he looked back down.

"What's wrong? Suga-san told me you had a nightmare," Hinata said, and Kageyama felt Hinata sit down beside him, placing the torch in a holder that was set up by a nearby tree. They sat in silence for awhile, and Kageyama looked up, leaning his head against the rock.

He had calmed down slightly, but there were still drops that trickled down his cheeks ever so slowly.

"I did," he breathed, and Hinata stood up, moving to sit in front of Kageyama, and leaned forward to wipe away his tears.

Hinata's thumb brushed against Kageyama's cheeks softly, before his hand slid down to his shoulder. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Kageyama shook his head lightly. Hinata smiled, putting his hands back in his lap, and he waited for Kageyama.

"It was dark," Kageyama started, trembling slightly. Hinata noticed that Kageyama's hand was tightly gripping the fabric of his jeans, and he placed his hand on Kageyama's, calming him slightly. "And there were screams. I was screaming."

"I was being pulled; restrained. I think I was thrown onto a helicopter, and the last thing I heard was a voice screaming my name," Kageyama sighed, turning his head to look at the grass beside him. He looked back at Hinata, who was smiling.

"But it was just a dream, right?" His voice seemed to waver slightly, and Kageyama squinted his eyes.

"Hinata," Kageyama put his knees down, crawling towards Hinata, who backed away when Kageyama approached, "Are you hiding something from me?"

Hinata shook his head, a smile on his face.

"Why would I ever hide anything from you, Yamayama-kun?"

Kageyama felt something within him snap, and he grabbed Hinata's collar, pulling him closer so their foreheads were touching.

"What are you hiding from me?" Kageyama stared intensely into Hinata's eyes, which were full of fear and uncertainty. Hinata shook his head, but Kageyama just tightened his grip on his collar.

"Suga-san told me that you trust me to protect you, and I can't do that without knowing what you're hiding," Kageyama sighed, his stern expression faltering slightly, "After all, I might need to save you from yourself one day, you dumbass."

Hinata just shrugged lightly, and Kageyama released his collar, exhaling loudly.

"You'll know in due time, I'm sure," Hinata stood up, back facing Kageyama, who sat on the ground exhausted, "All in due time."

"Now come! I'm sure the rest are worried." Hinata began walking, but Kageyama reached out, falling onto the ground, hand gripping the end of Hinata's pants.

"Hinata, do me a favour, if you don't want to tell me your secret," Kageyama mumbled, and Hinata turned his head, looking down at Kageyama.

 

 

 

"Tell me about my past."

 

 

 

There was a silence, before Kageyama heard a soft laugh, and looked up to see a single tear— reflected orange, from the flame— trickling down Hinata's cheek, while Hinata himself had a large grin on his face.

 

 

 

"That's the one thing I was trying to protect you from."

 

 

 

Kageyama wondered— is the one hurting more the person unknowing of the secret, or the person who's hiding it?


	9. give me your mercy

_"He's remembering, Suga-san."_

_"Yes, Hinata. But we can't-"_

_"I don't want him to remember."_

Kageyama walked away from the captain's headquarters, having heard enough of their conversation.

Everyday, he'd remember something new.

He was a pirate in Kitagawa Daiichi, he was a natural, his captain was Oikawa Tooru.

Something new was trying to sneak into Kageyama's memories, but whatever it was, it wasn't very pleasant.

His memories seemed to confuse his crew, hurt his captain, and he was starting to think that finding out who he was could only do harm.

"Am I the one causing harm?" Kageyama looked down at the his hand, clenching it into a fist and looked up at the rising sun. He lifted up the same hand, stretching out to touch the sun, and smiled.

"No wonder you're called the Sunshine Captain," Kageyama chuckled, basking in the warmth that came with the new day.

 

 

 

 

 

_"Oikawa-san!"_

_"Tobio!"_

_He remembered._

 

 

 

 

 

Kageyama scrambled to Hinata's room, throwing his sheets off his bed and dashing out of the dorms.

The sky was dark, he couldn't remember what had happened between the dawn and the dusk, as if his memory had been stolen.

Stars twinkled above him as his footsteps creaked the floorboards, lights slowly turning on as mummurs spread across the ship.

Kageyama burst threw Hinata's doors, the small captain groggily sitting up in his bed.

"Kageyama?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Kageyama ran forward, stumbling onto Hinata's bed, landing on the captain's chest, his tears dampening Hinata's shirt.

Kageyama grabbed fistfuls of Hinata's shirt, pulling him down, so that their faces were barely inches apart.

"Why did you let me into your crew?" He said, his voice a quiet whisper, but his words ringing louder in Hinata's head than anything had before.

"Because you suffered back when you worked for the government, and I didn't want that for you anymore. No one deserves that kind of treatment," Hinata bit down on his bottom lip. A half truth— the only truth he was willing to admit.

"You still let me in, despite knowing I worked for the government," Kageyama paused to take a shaky breath, "And that I was the former King of the Seas."

Hinata froze, muscles tensing beneath Kageyama's fierce grip, and Kageyama stared intensely into Hinata's large orange eyes.

"You let me in despite knowing that I was a killer, when you don't kill anyone," Kageyama cried, and he pulled Hinata forward, knocking their foreheads together before letting go of his shirt, Hinata falling back onto the bed silently.

"Why, why did you do that?" Kageyama sobbed, his tears falling faster than ever before, and in the dark and blurriness; he watched as a single orange dot leaned forward, and warm arms wrapped around him.

"Because everyone deserves a second chance," Hinata whispered, making Kageyama cry even more.

"I don't know who I am anymore, Hinata," Kageyama's voice cracking as he said the captain's name, and Hinata pulled back, hands on Kageyama's shoulders, orange eyes staring straight into Kageyama's dark blue ones.

"You're Kageyama Tobio," Hinata smiled softly, and Kageyama merely shook his head, eyes falling to look at the bedsheets beneath them.

"But that's just a name, a shell for memories to fill," Kageyama said, his voice trembling, "And my memories are all broken."

He had been captured, that was what his dreams had been trying to tell him. He was captured, brainwashed through experiencing emotional trauma, and forced to work for the government.

Regaining his memories, or at least that bit of it, meant that he could remember the emotional trauma that he was put through— which only made him cry a little harder and scream a little louder.

Hinata used one hand to tilt Kageyama's chin up, so that he was once again looking at Hinata.

"We'll fix them together okay? Your memories," Hinata smiled, and Kageyama furrowed his brow, slightly confused.

"But what good would that do?" Kageyama mumbled, wiping away his slowing tears.

Hinata grinned, ruffling Kageyama's hair.

"So you can be Kageyama Tobio again, and I think that's plenty good."

It was dark, and Kageyama's vision was blurry through his tears, and he was confused— but he wasn't so scared anymore.


	10. tell me stories of flowers and sea

Warm.

That's the first thing Kageyama Tobio felt when he woke, the comforting warmth radiating around him.

He attempted to turn, but found himself unable to, stuck in a tight grip. He looked down, two lean arms wrapped around him tightly.

Something behind him nuzzled further into his back, and Kageyama craned his neck to see a large mess of orange. Despite everything, he smiled.

A croaky "Kageyama?" mumbled into his back, and Kageyama felt like everything strangely fit into place.

Hinata looked up, one eye orange and the other a faded grey, a large scar running over it.

"Your eyepatch fell off," Kageyama turned back, and he felt Hinata inhale deeply behind him.

"It's somewhere on the bed, it's fine," Hinata laughed, breathy and light, filling the mellow morning with emotion and joy.

"How did you even get that scar?" Kageyama flipped over, Hinata's arms still around him, and they smiled at eachother sleepily underneath the bright rays of sunlight shining on them.

"Well, my old village was attacked," Hinata began, and Kageyama was slightly shocked that he finally decided to tell him his story, "And my family been killed, leaving me."

Kageyama mummured an apology, to which Hinata just shook his head, smiling sadly.

"I was running, and suddenly a gun shot sounds, and the bullet misses my head by a centimetre," Hinata lifted one hand from Kageyama's waist, tracing over the large scar that went over his blinded eye, "but scraped the surface of my eye, turning me half-blind."

"Do you remember who it was?" Kageyama asked, sudden anger filling his veins as he stared at Hinata's scar.

Hinata froze, muscles tensing against Kageyama's body, but he relaxed after awhile and merely shook his head.

"No, I don't."

Kageyama didn't want to push, so they continued to lie under the morning sunlight, bodies pressed against together— all so quickly, yet all so natural.

 

 

 

 

 

"5 months and you already got the captain head over heels for you, what a charmer." Sugawara ruffled Kageyama's hair, such a common occurence that Kageyama had to move his bandana from his head to his neck to avoid it constantly falling off, and Sugawara watched as a light pink brushed across Kageyama's cheeks, barely visible but still there.

The two leaned against the side of the ship, their usual spot, watching as the rest of the crew members did maintenance work on the ship.

"Is it right though? For a man to be with a man," Kageyama mumbled, to which Sugawara shrugged, a small smile on his face.

"I don't know, is it right to love, to be loved?" Sugawara asked, Kageyama nodding in agreement, "Then I suppose you have your answer laid before you, don't you?"

Kageyama laughed softly, wiping a small tear that seemed to fall from his right eye.

"So emotional, Kageyama," Sugawara laughed, patting Kageyama on the shoulder, "Such a perfect match for our captain."

Kageyama smiled, turning to Sugawara and muttering a "thank you". Sugawara shook his head, turning around, his body facing out to the oceans and beyond.

"No, Kageyama, thank you," Sugawara seemed to say to Kageyama and to himself, his brown eyes looking longingly out at sea, "Please, take care of him."

Kageyama paused, a sudden jolt of determination filling his veins, and he clenched his fists and looked up at the sunny sky.

"I will."

Sugawara turned, walking off, only turning back once to grin at Kageyama, a comforting sight indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Yamayama-kun, have you heard of the Shiratorizawa Eagles?" Hinata leaned forward on the ship's wheel, bored of sailing around looking for islands to raid.

"No, I can't say I have," Kageyama stood by him, hands behind his back, looking down at the small captain.

"Does the name Ushiwaka ring a bell?" Hinata turned his head, raising his brow, and Kageyama paused, before nodding."

"Ushijima Wakatoshi, best swordfighter around, right?" Kageyama asked, adjusting the black and orange bandana around his neck, and shifting the guns at his hip to a more comfortable position.

Hinata nodded, letting out a sigh as he stood up.

"One day, I wanna fight them," Hinata smiled, taking out his copper dagger and turning it so that it reflected the sunlight straight at the main mast, before throwing his dagger straight into the wood, the action barely startling the rest of the crew, "And I wanna beat Ushiwaka."

"You think you can?" Kageyama tilted his head, smiling softly when Hinata turned to him with a large grin and cheerful eyes.

"I'm sure with you and the rest of the crew by my side, _we_ can," Hinata laughed, hands on his hips, the joyful noise filling the atmosphere with happiness and cheer.

Kageyama wondered if the boy before him was really a human, or perhaps just a magical spirit made out of all things warm and lovely.


	11. save me from myself

He was only eating.

Enjoying a bowl of rice with fish when it hit him like a truck, a huge wave of old memories flowing back into his brain.

He went through them slowly, most of them included Oikawa yelling at him or Kindaichi and Kunimi glaring at him as if he was an unsightly beast, which were the usual memories that he got back.

But one memory seemed out of place.

There was fire, smoke, and screaming in that memory, and Kageyama seemed to remember running, two guns in his hand when—

_"Why?"_

Hinata.

Kageyama could feel tears forming, and in a panicked flurry, he hopped off the bench, leaving his crew members confused, with Sugawara the only one to run after him.

"Kageyama!" He yelled, but Kageyama only continued running, too afraid to stop.

Sugawara finally caught up, catching the younger boy by his shoulders, and spinning him around.

"What's wrong?" Sugawara looked at the crying Kageyama, a sight far too familiar, a sight far too painful.

"I hurt him," Kageyama mumbled through quivering lips, "I hurt him."

"Hurt who?" Sugawara shook Kageyama, and Kageyama pushed away his hands, turning around and dashing away from Sugawara, leaving a trail of tears in his path.

"What happened?" Hinata ran up behind him moments later, after Kageyama had disappeared into the forests on the island.

"He got his memories back during lunch, started crying a little bit after which is normal, but then he ran off, and he kept mumbling that he hurt someone," Sugawara put his hands on his hips, shaking his head, but stopped when he realising that Hinata looked mortified.

"What's wrong?" Sugawara turned to look at Hinata, slight worry building up within him. "Hinata?"

"Me," Hinata mumbled, "He remembers hurting me."

The captain dashed off the same way Kageyama did, but instead of leaving a trail of tears, his yells echoed through Sugawara's ears and alarmed the other crew members.

Sugawara looked towards the forest, before looking up at the sky, the sun slowly being covered by dark clouds, showing rain was coming.

Sugawara watched as the last bit of sunlight was covered, the sky merely a eerie dark grey. He looked back towards the forest, thunder rumbling in the background.

"Please be alright."

 

* * *

 

_"Kageyama, we're approaching." Oikawa said to him, and the smaller boy nodded, spinning his guns before sliding them into their sheathes on his belt.  
_

_The island was small, a quaint town located around the large mountain in the centre of it. The mayor of the town was rumoured to have something of worth to Oikawa, and that mention was enough to get the captain up on his feet and setting sails towards the town._

_The ship eventually docked, and Kitagawa Daiichi made their way off the boat, and Oikawa loudly demanded for the mayor of the town._

_Strangely enough, the person who showed up was not a man, but a woman with short orange hair instead. She carried with her an infant, a girl about one year of age._

_"Are you the mayor of this town?" Oikawa asked, and the woman nodded._

_"Hinata Naomi," she said, "Are you the pirate that seeks for my island's treasure?"_

_Oikawa laughed, nodding. The villagers' stares seemed to burn into Kageyama's skin, but the small boy ignored it like he always had._

_"My oh my, you're not going to give it over easily, are you?" Oikawa smiled, hand going towards his guns, but the lady didn't flinch._

_"I will not betray my island," she stood tall, a stern expression betraying the fear she hid beneath, "Nor its people."_

_"We'll have to do this the hard way then," Oikawa drew his guns, shooting bullets to the sky, with signalled all the other crew members to draw their weapons, "Are you sure you don't want to rethink your desicion?"_

_"I'm prepared, and so are my people." She readjusted her child, the baby sitting in her arms confused and lost, "Come what may, be it death or life, it will be in grace."_

_A gun shot sounded loudly, and Kageyama watched as the mayor's body fell to the floor, the infant falling with her, crying in pain as she landed._

_"I can't shoot the child," Oikawa bit down on his bottom lip, a little hesistant of what to do. "I don't want to kill anymore than needed."_

_The villagers were crowded around the mayor's fallen body, not completely dead but shoulder shot and bleeding profusely, with the low possiblility of living._

_Gun shots sounded and Oikawa dodged a bullet, several villagers lined up with guns._

_"Okay then, the hard way," Oikawa tapped his foot twice, and the crew spread out, dashing in all directions to find the treasure their captain seeked._

_Kageyama ran off towards the mountain, no one trailing him because they knew that he would kill anyone that got in his way._

_A fact Kageyama was not too proud of, but it was how he worked and it usually got the job done, so no one had the right to complain._

_"Copper dagger, copper dagger, copper dagger," Kageyama muttered as he ran, one hand holding one gun and the other swinging by his side._

_He got to the base of the mountain, a small cave leading deeper into the ground. Kageyama slowly descended into the unknown, drops of water occasionally dripping from the top of the cave._

_The treasure they seeked was a small copper dagger, with the ability for the blade to be lit with flames from matches, yet the handle was unflammable, which allowed the user to slice down their enemies with extra force and fire._

_Finally, Kageyama approached a smaller opening, the room beyond filled only with a small rock in the centre, where the dagger should have been._

_But it was not there._

_Kageyama whipped around when he heard running footsteps behind him, and he saw a small dot of orange dashing away from him._

_He followed the culprit, assuming it was a guard that had been assigned to keep watch of the dagger._

_Kageyama reached the exit of the cave, the same place that he had entered previously. He turned the corner to see the boy running around the moutain, and Kageyama decided to run the other way, in hopes of clashing with the guard._

_He ran, as fast as his fifteen year-old legs could carry him, and he managed to reach the other side before the guard._

_Kageyama stood ready, guns pointed forward, and he waited as the sound of the footsteps got louder and louder and—_

_He shot, two bullets flying out from his revolvers._

_His eyes had been closed, and when he opened them, before him he didn't see a grown man._

_He saw an orange-haired boy, seemingly the same age as him._

_The boy's hands were covering one eye, the other had tears flowing slowly down his cheek._

_Kageyama's bullets had seemed to be slightly off, one lying on the floor a slight bit away, the other probably having scraped the boy's eye._

_"Do you have the dagger?" Kageyama pointed one gun towards the boy, who took his hands off his eye, and Kageyama staggered back slightly._

_A large gash ran across the boy's eye, blood mixed with tears slowly trickling down._

_"Why?" He yelled, and before Kageyama could walk forward and search him, he heard a loud cry, and a yell from Iwaizumi to retreat._

_"Tch," Kageyama hissed, spinning on his heel and running away from the small boy._

_Behind him, the crying boy smiled to himself despite the pain, because he had kept his promise._

_He retrieved the copper dagger from inside his sleeve, and held it to the sky._

 

* * *

 

Kageyama ran, and ran, and ran, and ran as far as he could from the ship.

"I hurt him." Kageyama pushed through the bushes, his arms getting multiple cuts from thorns and his legs occasionally getting tangled in vines, "I hurt him."

"I hurt him," Kageyama mumbled over and over and over until it felt like it was the only thing he could say through his quivering lips and his never-ending tears. It replayed in his head, the words, the sounds, the sight of Hinata on the ground with his hand on his eye.

"I hurt him," he screamed, pushing through whatever was in his way to get past the forestry and get to the other side of the island, where the beach awaited him.

Perhaps he could just fall into the ocean, peaceful bliss until the water swallowed him up.

But he didn't want to do that, in fear that his death would cause Hinata even more harm that he had already done.

"I hurt him," Kageyama said, finally reaching the other side of the island, collapsing on the sand. He flipped over, sand on his cheeks and lips, yet the tears that flowed from his eyes washed them away.

"I hurt him." Kageyama covered his eyes, focusing on the wind, the sounds of the ocean, and suddenly a drop of water landed on him. Another, and then another, and then Kageyama was too lazy to count the falling rain anymore.

He heard footsteps, but he was ready to take on Hinata.

"I have to do it sooner or later," Kageyama sighed to himself, and he sat up, before feeling something push him back down into the wet sand.

"Now now now," a voice said, and Kageyama froze. The voice that haunted his memories, his dreams, a voice that merely reminded his of the past he wished to forget.

"Not so fast, Tobio-chan."


	12. bottom of the ocean to the sky

  
Hinata watched.

He watched as Kageyama was dragged onto Seijoh's boat, he watched as the boat sailed off, he watched as Kageyama struggled in the ropes tied around him.

He _heard_ , that was the worse part; the screams of Kageyama.

The apologies, the pleads, the cries, the shouts for Hinata— for him.

Yet, Hinata had failed to make it in time, and Kageyama had been taken away by his old captain and Hinata felt history repeating itself.

"He's being taken away from the people he trusts the most," Hinata gripped the handle of his dagger tightly, and he felt tears trickle down his cheeks as he took out his dagger and threw it into the sand.

"Again! It's happening again! Why is it always to people I love?" Hinata sobbed, knees giving out and he collapsed, knelt down on the wet sand that collected the tears he shed as well.

The heavy rain hit hard against his head, his bandana slipping off his head, his hair deflating, and his eyepatch slowly sliding off his eye.

Hinata looked up at the dark skies and screamed, and screamed, and screamed; letting out anger and worries and panic that had built up in him over and over and over through the years.

"Are you done?" Hinata whipped around, Sugawara leaning against a tree nearby, equally soaked as the small captain.

"It's my fault Suga-san," Hinata mumbled, picking up his dagger and stabbing the sand beside him, "It's always my fault."

As Hinata stared into the sand, he felt a hand gently pat his shoulder, and then he turned to see Sugawara's bright and comforting grin, which somehow managed to shine even through the thunderstorm.

"Let's go fix it then," Sugawara held out his hand, a small smile on his face.

Hinata stuttered, hesitant to take Sugawara's hand, but eventually laughed softly before grabbing his hand and pulling himself up.

"Yeah, let's go," Hinata grinned equally as bright, hoping that somewhere out there, Kageyama could hear their hearts beating for him, for his safety, and for his life.

Especially Hinata's, which was so, so full of love.

 

 

 

 

 

The rain had cleared the next morning, and Hinata Shoyou wasted no time in making sure his whole crew— or what he had of it— was awake and moving, everyone preparing to set off to find and take back Kageyama.

Everyone was determined to find the one man who had managed to make Hinata genuinely smile in a very long time, despite all his past mistakes and background.

"Yamaguchi! Let's go!" Hinata called, looking back and pointing at the freckled boy by the wheel, who nodded with a small smile.

Hinata dashed forward, grabbing onto the latch attached to a rope by the main mast, and he pulled it, which carried him up to the sails. He pulled the knots free, and the sails dropped down gracefully, Hinata sitting on the top of the sail, looking down at his crew.

"We'll find you Kageyama," Hinata mumbled to himself, as if comforting himself at the same time, "We will."

Hinata pointed forward, and the ship followed his directions, and soon the Karasuno Crows were off to find the King of the Seas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sun was setting, merging with the ocean in a bright flurry of warm colours that spread through the sky.

Hinata had taken over the wheel, and the crew had been sailing towards Seijoh's base for awhile. Seijoh's base was a long distance away, probably taking about a day to get there.

"Ship!" Daichi yelled from the crow's nest, and Hinata paused, turning his head to look at the ship heading straight towards them.

Their flag was purple and white, a picture of a eagle in the centre, painted black.

"Shiratorizawa," Hinata mumbled, before reaching and pulling out his dagger, "It's Shiratorizawa!"

Everyone began to scramble around to gather weapons, Hinata yelling instructions to all the crew members.

Shiratorizawa's ship slowly halted in front of Karasuno's, and a bridge extended onto their ship. After a few minutes, no one had come down, so Hinata went up.

Pirates in fanciful uniforms surrounded him, and Hinata was lost among the sheer height of all of them.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat, and immediately the crowd dispersed, and Hinata found himself facing the man he had always wanted to beat.

"Ushijima?" Hinata spun his dagger around before sliding it back into his sheath, "I'm Hinata Shoyou, pleasure to meet you."

Ushijima walked up to him, towering over Hinata as he stood in front of him, and stared down at the small captain.

"Where is he?" Ushijima asked, eyes wide and face blank, "Kageyama Tobio."

"Not here," Hinata moved one step back, shrugging his shoulders. Ushijima seemed to glare at Hinata a little longer before slowly walking forward.

"I've heard rumours, interesting rumours that you— a captain of such a crew— wish to battle me and my crew," Ushijima said as he walked, beginning to circle Hinata once he got close enough, "And you claimed you would win."

Hinata nodded, a small smile on his face, and Ushijima scowled.

"For someone who cannot even beat Aoba Johsai, I don't think you have any right to make that claim." Ushijima slowly walked away from Hinata, who was slowly getting agitated, "Besides, Aoba Johsai is like the surface of the ocean, barely having seen anything. We, who have beaten them repeatedly, are like the sky."

Hinata stepped forward, causing Shiratorizawa's crew to draw their weapons.

"Then what are we, the bottom of the ocean?" Hinata frowned, and Ushijima slowly nodded his head, as if he was giving the idea a lot of thought.

"Watch out!" A shield flew overhead, and Ushijima jumped to grab it.

Hinata dashed forward, jumping up and grabbing the shield first, landing gracefully onto the wooden boards of the ship.

The crew went silent.

Hinata stood up, turning around with a smile on his face as he threw the shield towards Ushijima, who caught it right before it collided with his face.

"Hi! I'm Hinata Shoyou, the Sunshine Captain of the bottom of the ocean," Hinata walked forward, heading towards the board that connected Shiratorizawa's ship to his own, "And I will defeat you."

"What makes you so sure you can?" Ushijima called from behind him as Hinata stepped onto the board.

_"I'm sure with you and the rest of the crew by my side, we can."_

Hinata turned around with a smile, unsheathing his dagger as he turned and pointing it straight at Ushijima, the copper glimmering in the bright sunlight.

"I made a promise."

Hinata returned to his ship as a single tear rolled down his cheek, and the Karasuno Crows continued to search for the captain's source of happiness— leaving the Eagles confused, yet excited.


	13. lend me your heart

The time had past in a blink of an eye. One minute, Kageyama was crying in the sand, the next he was tied up and scared, in the basement of Seijoh's ship.

His tears had halted and his breathing had calmed, but that didn't change the fact that he was alone and scared and only wanted a small orange-haired captain to burst through the trapdoor above and bring him home.

The trapdoor opened, but Kageyama's hope was dampened as Oikawa poked his head through it. "Tobio-chan?"

Kageyama looked away, and he felt Oikawa climb down the ladder and sit beside him, the wood creaking and shaking gently beneath his steps.

"Do you remember who you are?" Oikawa asked softly.

Kageyama merely nodded, refusing to speak. He focused his gaze on the wooden floorboards away from Oikawa, afraid that eye contact would give away his fear.

"It's nice to see that you've grown from the hermit crab you once were," the playful tone in Oikawa's voice slowly faded into the silent, tense atmosphere.  
  
"How was the government?" He asked, and Kageyama flinched, the thought of his recent past making him think of his rotten boss that ended him up here in the first place.

_"Then again,"_ Kageyama thought, smiling softly at the thought of orange hair and a bright smile that only belonged to one person— one person that he wouldn't have met if it weren't for his old boss.

"Alright," he mumbled, wondering why Oikawa had taken the time out of his day to wander down into the basement of his ship and have a conversation with him.

"Do you enjoy being in your new crew?" Oikawa asked once again, and Kageyama nodded. Oikawa drummed his fingers on the wooden floorboards, "It would seem that he cares for you a lot."

Kageyama nodded once more, the sight of Hinata lighting his dagger before Oikawa replaying in his mind over and over again. It had been to protect him, and Kageyama was rather sure that Hinata would do it again.

"Iwa-chan said that you two remind him of me and him," Oikawa laughed, "I guess every good crew needs the power duo."

"Good crew?" Kageyama questioned, and Oikawa's laughter faded.

"I consider Karasuno a good enemy," Oikawa said, his tone hard to read without looking at his face.

The silence that sat between them was thick with tension, one that Kageyama absolutely hated.

"I'm sorry," Oikawa started, and Kageyama whipped his head around, large navy eyes staring straight at Oikawa, "I didn't want to capture you."

"But you did," Kageyama hissed, as if his words were dripping with venom.

Oikawa took off his hat, placing it beside him, and ran a hand through his hair. "I consider myself a selfish person."

Kageyama paused, furrowing his brow at the man's odd claim.

"Selfish people do whatever they can do get what they want," Oikawa smiled sadly, a hint of sorrow hidden behind his brave and fanciful facáde, "In this case, it's a fight."

"Why do you want to fight Hinata?" Kageyama narrowed his eyes, and Oikawa shook his head slowly.

"Selfish, remember?" Oikawa grinned, pain seeping through everything he said, "After the government took you, I thought I wasn't strong enough."

Kageyama froze.

"I trained harder than before, and with my already injured knee, I nearly permanently damaged my whole leg," Oikawa laughed softly, "Of course, Iwa-chan stopped me from doing anything stupid."

Kageyama smiled ever-so-slightly. Iwaizumi had always stopped Oikawa from doing anything stupid, yet Oikawa had always returned the favour by being there for Iwaizumi in his darkest times.

_"Every relationship has to be equal, Kageyama."_

_"How does Oikawa-san repay you then, Iwaizumi-san?"_

_"He's always got my back, and he trusts me with all his heart. That's enough for me."_

"So all I ask is that you indulge in my stupid requests once more, and let me fight your new crew," Oikawa smiled sadly at Kageyama, who blinked warily at him. In his mind, he already had the answer.

"We'll beat you, you know," Kageyama said, face stern and calm, and there was a moment of silence before Oikawa's laughter filled the room.

"I can't wait," Oikawa grinned, standing up and putting his large hat back on, boots clicking against the wood as he walked back to the ladder. He turned around one last time, a subtle hint of sincerity in his eyes.

"Thank you, Tobio-chan." Oikawa climbed up the ladder, shutting the trapdoor, and Kageyama was alone once again.

With his hands tied to his side, he drew a small sun on the ground with the dust. Kageyama watched a small tear fell onto the ground beside the sun.

"Come soon, Hinata."

 

 

* * *

 

"Hinata! It's over there!" Asahi called from the Crow's nest, and Hinata whipped around to see a large island waiting for them just a few miles ahead.

Beside the island docked a large ship, the ship's mint flag flowing gracefully in the wind.

Hinata turned his head back to signal to Yamaguchi to pick up the pace, and he ran forward, stopping only at the tip of the bowspirit.

He placed both his hands around his mouth, and yelled.

"We're coming, Kageyama!"

He turned around to see his whole crew smiling at him, all probably thinking the same thing.

Yet, they were all also thinking of a wish that went unsaid.

_"Please be safe."_


	14. battle of the best

Kageyama sat in Oikawa's headquarters, still tied up— but getting increasingly tired.

He just wanted to see the whole crew again, longed for the small orange-haired captain who shined like the sun.

He never expected to get so attached to the man who captured and nearly killed him, but Kageyama supposed that fate had strange ways of working.

"Oikawa-san!" Kindaichi ran up to the captain, Kunimi trailing behind him, "Karasuno has docked."

Kageyama jerked up at the mention of his crew, watching as Oikawa spun around, a smile on his face and a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.

"Let them come."

 

 

 

 

 

The leaves rustled loudly as Hinata pushed through the thick forestation, running as fast as he could to the other side of the island, where Seijoh's ship was docked— and where Kageyama was waiting for him.

A fire of determination burned brightly in his heart, calling for the blue-eyed man who stumbled carelessly into his life. His crew followed closely behind him, an equal flame burned within them, all wanting to find the one man who could make their captain truly happy.

_"You're twenty-two and acting like some village girl swooning for the town prince,"_ Sugawara had told him, _"It's quite endearing to see you acting like yourself for once."_

Hinata remembered tilting his head in confusion, the stars in the sky leaving a small shimmer on Sugawara's silver hair as he laughed.

_"You're usually so cheery, it seems unnatural. Of course, we all know you're bearing many weights, and despite all our attempts to help carry those weights with you, you deny it,"_ Sugawara had told him with a sad smile, _"But there's finally someone you shared them with."_

Hinata hadn't even noticed that slowly, he'd grown more comfortable with Kageyama and let his secrets slip out; let him see his vulnerable side.

But surprisingly, Hinata didn't mind.

He pushed through the last bit of forestry, stepping foot onto the hot sand and shielding his eyes from the blinding sun.

He looked forward, Seijoh's ship docked before him, their mint flag flowing gracefully in the wind.

Hinata gripped his copper dagger tightly, and narrowed his eyes at the large ship.

Somewhere on there, Kageyama was waiting for him, and he didn't want to make him wait any longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Give me Kageyama."

Kageyama's head jerked up at the mention of his name, yelled across the ship as if to make an announcement.

"My my, you should try and find him yourself," he could hear Oikawa chiding Hinata nearby, trying to piss his captain off.

Kageyama pushed himself off the wall, struggling to gain balance as he attempted to stand.

He wobbled slightly as he slowly stood, rope tied tightly around his chest down to his thighs.

"Curse these ropes," Kageyama muttered as he clumsly hopped his way to the door, nearly falling over twice. Upon finally reaching the door, Kageyama shifted in an attempt to open it— ultimately falling over and landing face first, though he did manage to open the door.

He looked up slowly, realising that he was no longer in the captain's headquarters, and that both Karasuno and Seijoh stared at him in awe.

A moment of silence passed.

"Kageyama!" Hinata ran towards him, and Oikawa raised his left hand, shooting at the sky, while his right hand focused on Hinata, barely missing him as he dodged the bullets.

The rest of Seijoh began attacking, Kageyama cursing silently at one of Oikawa's many alarms for his crew to attack.

Hinata managed to run over to Kageyama, slicing through his ropes in one swift motion.

Kageyama slowly stretched out his limbs, when Hinata suddenly grabbed his face, hands gently cupping his cheeks as he tilted his head to look straight at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and Kageyama never thought he'd be so happy to hear someone's voice. He nodded, and Hinata let out a sigh of relief, his eyes softening slightly.

"Go," Hinata said before spinning around and reflecting a bullet inches from his face, a crew member of Seijoh with pink hair cursing loudly.

Hinata dashed forward, disappearing into the battle, and Kageyama slowly stood, dodging a bullet before running straight back into the captain's headquarters.

He slammed the doors behind him, pressing his back to the wood. He looked around the room, eventually finding most of his belongings.

He took his bandana and tied it around his head once more, smiling to himself as he saw his reflection in a small mirror in the corner of the room.

Kageyama crouched down, examining Oikawa's desk, when he saw a hidden drawer on the inner parts of the wide desk legs.

He opened it, only to see his two spraypainted guns waiting for him.

He picked them up, spinning them once before sliding them into the loops in his belt.

Kageyama walked over and stood at the exit, unsure of whether to open the doors yet or not.

Suddenly, Sugawara came tumbling in, the doors barely missing Kageyama as they flung open, shooting past the head of a silver-haired Seijoh crew member. The man shot back, aiming for Sugawara's head, which kept moving to avoid being shot.

Kageyama shifted beside the man, taking advantage of his unseen hiding place behind the open left door, waiting for him to take a few more steps forward before swinging the door close.

The man shuffled around briefly before falling to the floor, a large red mark situated in the middle of his forehead.

Kageyama turned back, Sugawara smiling at him, sitting cross-legged on the floor "Thanks."

Kageyama shook his head, walking over to him and extending out his hand, which Sugawara gladly took and hoisted himself up.

A scream erupted from the main deck, and Kageyama whipped around, managing to catch a glimpse of Oikawa pinning Hinata to the ground, gun at his head.

Kageyama ran out, instantly getting soaked from the sudden thunderstorm which rocked the ship intensely, and felt pure rage build up within him as he watched Oikawa laugh.

Oikawa had pinned Hinata to the ground, holding him at gunpoint, a large grin on his face.

Kageyama felt his body move on its own, dashing forward and shooting past Oikawa's head, distracting the captain momentarily as Hinata kneed his stomach.

Oikawa staggered, pulling back his gun and sitting straight up, not expecting Kageyama to jump over him, kick off the main mast, and land straight on him— pinning him to the ground just as he had to Hinata.

"Don't touch him." Rage seeped into every word he said, Kageyama pressed his gun into Oikawa's shoulder instead, hard and firm.

"My my," Kageyama could've sworn he saw genuine care in Oikawa's eyes, "How touching."

Suddenly, the ship was knocked, sending Kageyama flying off Oikawa and tumbling sideways. Hinata yelled his name as he rolled, hitting the side of the ship with a groan.

He felt someone pulling him, and he turned over to see Hinata, face inches away from him. Just for a second— a mere second— Hinata saw Kageyama's eyes soften.

Hinata pulled him upwards, standing in a ready battle stance once he saw what was in front of them. Kageyama blinked wearily, vision focusing on the large crew that had slowly gathered beside and behind Oikawa.

He looked around; Karasuno had also gathered around them, as if the two sides were preparing to start battle yet again.

Kageyama grabbed his guns, when the ship was knocked again, and everyone was thrown off balance.

Oikawa turned his head, and even from a sideview, Kageyama could see the pure horror in his eyes.

He looked up, only to see a ship even larger than Seijoh's, with a purple flag flying in the wind.

"Shiratorizawa," Hinata mumbled beside Kageyama, and suddenly he realised why everyone was acting the way they were.

The ship slowly docked beside them, both captains watching as Ushijima Wakatoshi slowly walked off his ship and onto Seijoh's, his crew following behind him.

Neither crew nor captain dared to do anything, for in Ushijima's hand was a long, sharp, cutlass.

"Oh? Seijoh and the Crows battling without us? No fun!" The red-haired man next to Ushijima pouted, but Ushijima merely shook his head.

"No, Tendou. The real fight hasn't started yet, but it shall now," He said, a small smile forming on his face, eyes wide with excitement.

"He gets a kick out of this," Hinata growled, and Kageyama had no idea how to respond— when Sugawara tapped both men on the shoulder.

They turned behind, Sugawara standing there with a sly look on his face.

"Then let's kick him out of this."

Kageyama and Hinata both smiled, turning back into their battle stance; Hinata bent low with his dagger and gun, Kageyama with his two revolvers painted the colours of his flag.

To their left stood Aoba Johsai, to their right stood Shiratorizawa, and at that very moment, a wave of determination flooded Kageyama's veins— but he still frowned, unsure of the battle's outcome.

"We're going to win this," Hinata smiled, and Kageyama noticed a small spot of sunlight before him, looking up to see the dark clouds clearing, sunlight beginning to break through.

Kageyama smiled; maybe he did know the battle's outcome.

"Yeah, we are."


	15. bleed with me

Kageyama could feel the wood he was being pressed into breaking, snapping under the force being exerted by the red-haired man before him.

"You're the monster, the King of the Seas, aren't you?" He smiled, and Kageyama flinched at the name, "I'm a monster too! What monster am I you ask?"

Kageyama grit his teeth together, gathering all strength to pull his restrained arm up and shoot past the man's body.

He fired, the man shifting his body to the side while his hands kept hold of Kageyama's arms, all while his eyes focused on Kageyama's face.

"The Guess Monster! How sad that you missed your shot," He laughed, and Kageyama smirked, lifting his leg and kicking him to the side, causing the man's hands to fall back to his side, letting Kageyama roam free once again.

"I don't miss." Kageyama punched the man before he could do anything else, his bruised body slowly falling to the floor.

He turned around, his head having left a large indent in the centre of the main mast, and Kageyama laughed softly before running ahead to help the others.

The rain stung his wounds— a deep cut on his back, a scrape on his shoulder, a shallow cut across his stomach— but he continued anyway, the adernaline keeping him going.

He saw Hinata dashing towards Ushijima, determination in his large orange eyes as he jumped up, dagger shining even in the dark, moody rain.

However, Ushijima stood oddly still as Hinata ran towards him, and his expression made Kageyama run faster.

Suddenly, he raised his arm as Hinata was falling towards him, a revolver that previously wasn't there pointed straight at Hinata's right shoulder.

Kageyama wanted to rip his own throat out.

_"Shoyou!"_

The sound of a gun shot was familiar to Kageyama; really he shouldn't have been shocked, but he could feel his knees giving out and his heart pounding in his chest.

Blood, he saw. Blood coming from Hinata's shoulder. Yet the captain was silent— not a single sound— as he fell to the ground.

But Kageyama didn't stop.

He pushed Ushijima out of the way, Sugawara and Daichi distracting him as he bent over Hinata, gently lifting his head and placing him on his lap.

"Hinata," Kageyama watched as his tears splashed onto Hinata's cheeks, mixing with the blood, sweat and rainwater, "Hinata, please."

"Tobio." Hinata weakly lifted his arm, carressing Kageyama's cheek as tears flowed down them, "You c-called me Shoyou..."

His words were barely whispers, slow and stuttering, making Kageyma cry even more.

"You can't d-die," Kageyama stammered, pressing the fabric of his shirt onto the wound in Hinata's shoulder, trying his best to stop the loss of blood that was making Hinata go unconcious in the first place.

His body was weakened by cuts and wounds, blood loss and holes.

Something washed over Kageyama then, a wave of regret for those he slaughtered in the past. If it felt so horrid to lose someone you cared for, had he been causing others to feel the same his whole life?

"Please..." Hinata wiped away a tear on Kageyama's cheek, smiling, "Take care... of t-them... for me..."

Hinata's hand slowly slid off Kageyama's cheek, landing limp by his side. His eyes fluttered close, and Kageyama heard ringing in his ears and heard his heart pumping blood around his body— more blood than Hinata had then.

Kageyama couldn't hear anyone fighting, but he knew that while he'd given up his current battle, the rest of his crew hadn't.

He looked down at Hinata's wounded body; if he didn't get medical attention immediately, he would die.

_"Please... take care... of t-them... for me..."_

Kageyama did the only thing he could do at that moment; he screamed.

"Karasuno retreat!"

Every Karasuno member turned to look at Kageyama, then looked at the limp captain in his arms, and began fleeing from the ship.

Kageyama handed Hinata to Tanaka as he ran past, watching all the other Karasuno members jump off the ship and run towards the other side of the island, where their ship waited.

As Kageyama jumped off the ship, he felt more tears escape his eyes, wiping them away hastily.

"Going so soon, Tobio-chan?" Kageyama turned his head as he ran and saw Oikawa standing at the side of the ship, tilting his head and pouting, "I thought you'd stay longer."

Kageyama halted for a moment, turning back completely, staring straight at Oikawa. He lifted his right hand, holding his gun steady, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew straight past Oikawa's head, inches away from his face.

"This fight isn't over yet," Kageyama yelled back, watching as Oikawa flipped over to block an oncoming attack from Ushijima.

He spun back around, running towards Karasuno's ship, looking up at the sky as he did so.

Even though the sky was blocked by trees, bright sunlight pierced through every gap there was, lighting the way back to Karasuno's ship.

A small tear escaped Kageyama's eye, and he let it trickle down and fall to the ground.

Feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin, he wondered, _"Are you watching over me Hinata, or is this just irony?"_


	16. support me

"We don't have enough supplies to get back to our island. He's bleeding out tremendously, and we can't afford to risk a day's trip back to our base," Ennoshita placed his hands flat on the table, looking at Kageyama with an expression that read both worried and stern.

"Isn't there any closer islands?" Kageyama turned to Yamaguchi, who drummed his fingers on the table, as if thinking really hard.

"Nekoma's island would be the nearest," Yamaguchi blinked, and Kageyama stared at Ennoshita.

"Well, he'd be able to survive half a day— probably," He muttered, and Kageyama slammed the table, leaning towards Ennoshita on the other side.

"Probably?" He tried his best to sound serious, but his forming tears and quivering voice gave away his overwhelming fear— fear of losing the one thing that meant more to him than anything else had.

"His blood loss is too severe, and we weren't prepared for such a serious injury," Ennoshita mumbled, biting down on his bottom lip and clenching his fists that sat upon the tabletop. "It is my fault, I'm sorry."

Kageyama just shook his head, wiping away a tear that threatened to escape.

"We'd reach Nekoma's at midnight though," Tsukishima said behind Yamaguchi, who nodded in agreement.

"It doesn't matter the time of day," Kageyama hissed, "It matters how much time he has."

He whipped his head around, fierce stare immediatey melting into a sad gaze as he looked at the limp, lifeless body of his captain; lying on the bed that they had shared once, his arms around Kageyama, the sun shining on both of them as it rose slowly.

"Can you get us to Nekoma as quick as possible, Yamaguchi?" Kageyama looked back, voice softer and a little bit sadder than before. Yamaguchi nodded, leaving the room with Tsukishima trailing behind him.

"Ennoshita-san, please take care of him," Kageyama looked at Ennoshita, who was staring at Hinata's unconcious body. He nodded, looking back at Kageyama with a sad smile.

"I'll try my best to make sure he stays with us," Ennoshita whispered, and Kageyama smiled sadly in reply, a small tear escaping and falling onto the wood.

It seemed that he was always crying. Kageyama wondered what his previous self would think if he saw what he had become?

A soft-hearted and kind pirate, who'd never hurt a soul; from the once brutal and unforgiving beast he once was.

But strangely, as he walked over to Hinata, kneeling down and pressing his lips gently onto Hinata's cheek, he didn't seem to mind his change.

He liked it— maybe he even loved it a little too much.

 

 

 

 

 

Kageyama walked out of the captain's headquarters for the first time in three hours, the setting sun a calming sight for him to see after hours of dim light and tears.

The rest of the crew was slowly mending the ship, with the exception of Yamaguchi and Asahi, one steering them to safety and the other perched high above, looking for dangers.

"Kageyama! Ship up ahead," Asahi called down, and Kageyama nodded, running over to the side of the ship. He leaned over the edge slightly, squinting his eyes to see the flag that waved proudly in the wind.

His vision finally focused, the last few rays of sunlight still making it challenging to see the colour correctly— but he finallt saw it.

Kageyama Tobio could not have been more relieved.

A teal flag fluttered gracefully in the wind, a simple, grey bolted wall as the main symbol.

"Yamaguchi! Sail towards the ship," Kageyama yelled to his right, where Yamaguchi stood steering. Kageyama turned his head, a small grin on his face, "It's Dateko."

 

 

 

 

 

"Oh my, that is bad," Futakuchi crossed his arms, leaning down and pressing down gently on Hinata's shot wound, a large amount of bandage wrapped around his entire right shoulder.

"Sakunami! Onaga! Please fetch what's needed for Karasuno's captain from the ship," The man beside Futakuchi— captain of Dateko, Moniwa Kaname— turned back and politely asked the two pirates that stood a slight distance away from the crowd of people around Hinata.

They both walked forward, briefly examining Hinata's wounds, before walking off and out of the room.

"Don't worry, Kageyama," The man beside him smiled cheerily— Koganegawa, Kageyama had learned his name— his multicoloured hair shifting slightly as he tilted his head. "Your captain doesn't seem like the type to give up on promises!"

_"I'm sure with you and the rest of the crew by my side, we can."_

"Yeah," Kageyama shrugged, when he suddenly jerked up, "Wait, what do you mean?"

"I mean, this isn't the first time he's been on the brink of death. He once promised Aone that he'd find him and give him a present, and he did— bleeding and panting, of course," Koganegawa paused, Kageyama's eyes and mouth widening slightly at the news, "But nonetheless, he brought Aone the present."

Aone pulled out a small silver bracelet with a teal jem on one side and an orange one on the other.

"I've never had any friends from other crews before, so it meant a lot to me," A small smile broke through Aone's stern features, and Kageyama looked down at Hinata, sleeping so peacefully one might think he was already dead.

Strangely, no thoughts entered his head, yet Kageyama still smiled.

"We're back! Please clear the way so we can help him," Sakunami walked towards them with Onaga trailing behind him, both men carrying a box each filled with medical supplies.

The four pirates cleared the way, and Kageyama watched as the two medics set their supplies down and began to work.

_"But nonetheless, he brought Aone the present."_

Oddly, Kageyama wasn't so scared anymore.

 

 

 

 

  
"Thank you so much for your medical assistance," Ennoshita said, both him and Kageyama bowing to Moniwa, who shook his head and waved his hands, a small smile on his face.

"No no! Always willing to help out an ally, distant or not," Moniwa said, saying one final goodbye before heading back onto his ship and sailing away.

Karasuno was left on their own once again.

Kageyama signalled to Yamaguchi to begin sailing again, walking over to him as he did so.

"How long more?" Kageyama asked, and Yamaguchi hummed softly as he calculated the time.

"About half an hour more?" Yamaguchi said, and Kageyama nodded, giving him a single pat on the back before walking off the platform and back into the dimly lit captain's headquarters.

Outside was dark, the sun having set a few hours ago, and the only source of light in the room were a few candles.

Kageyama sat down beside Hinata's bed, Ennoshita nowhere to be seen. Kageyama gathered he was probably taking a break.

"Hey," Kageyama whispered, gently dragged his hand along Hinata's forehead, a sad smile on his face. "Wake up soon, okay?"

 

 

 

 

 

"What brings you to our humble abode, Kage- oh," Kuroo paused, looking at the body behind Kageyama on a makeshift stretcher— also known as Tanaka Ryuunosuke.

"Please," Kageyama looked Kuroo straight in the eyes, and even under the moon, Kuroo could see Kageyama's eyes shimmering with determination.

Kuroo smiled.

"Yaku, tell Shibayama and Inuoka they've got work to do," Kuroo told Yaku, who was standing beside him. He walked off, Kuroo trailing behind him and signalling for Kageyama and his crew to follow.

"How did it happen anyway?" Kuroo asked as they walked, and Kageyama sighed loudly.

"He got shot when we were battling Seijoh and Shiratorizawa," Kageyama mumbled, and Kuroo stopped, turning around with wide eyes. Kageyama waved Tanaka to move ahead first.

"You were fighting Shiratorizawa and Seijoh?" Kuroo asked, and Kageyama nodded, "That's insane."

"I'm sure they're looking for us at this very moment," Kageyama shrugged, and Kuroo narrowed his eyes at Kageyama, before turning back around and walking.

"Whatever it is, don't be so sad. I know your captain isn't in the best shape right now, but hey," Kuroo pushed past the last bit of forestry, revealing a brightly lit campsite, all of Nekoma fussing over Hinata's injured state. "That's what allies— no, friends, are for."

Two men— one with brown hair that stood straight up and the other with black hair that went down both sides of his face— ran around frantically, grabbing medical supplies, all while simultaneously working on Hinata's wounds.

Suddenly, Bokuto jumped out at Kageyama, large golden eyes full of worry.

"He'll be okay," Bokuto looked back at Hinata's body, lying on the ground, before looking back at Kageyama, "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah," Kageyama smiled, and Bokuto threw himself onto Kageyama.

"We'll fight them with you!" Bokuto grinned when he pulled away, "It won't be so scary with us around."

Kuroo laughed beside Kageyama, and as Kageyama looked around him; at the large crowd fussing over his captain, the two captains comforting him, the warm and welcoming atmosphere— he deserved practically none of it.

But Hinata had worked painstakingly hard to get the relationship between crews this close, and wasting his effort was the last thing Kageyama wanted to do.


	17. all things sweet and inbetween

Bright sunlight shone through the cloth that formed the tent that Kageyama slept in, causing Kageyama to slowly open his eyes.

Kageyama awoke, groggy and slightly surprised at the lack of nightmares.

He looked beside him, taking up the other half of the tent was a separate sleeping bag with Hinata's unconcious body laying inside it.

Kageyama sat up, a sad smile on his face, as he brushed away stray pieces of hair from Hinata's face.

"Funny huh?" He muttered, sighing inbetween words, "How sad the situation is, but I still smile."

"That's what he'd want you to do," a voice said, the tent opening to reveal a smiling Sugawara.

He clambered into the tent, taking a seat beside Kageyama. Sugawara stared at Hinata's lifeless body for awhile, before finally speaking up.

"Do you love him?" Sugawara asked, eyes still focused on Hinata's body. Kageyama felt his heart jump slightly, shocked at the direct question.

"I think so," Kageyama fiddled with the red fabric around his waist, and Sugawara turned his head, looking straight at Kageyama.

"Did you have any nightmares last night?" Sugawara asked, and Kageyama slowly shook his head, "Then you must love him."

"How is that related?" Kageyama furrowed his brow, looking back at Sugawara, hands halted from playing with the loose fabric.

"Despite something traumatic happening recently, you still slept okay knowing that he would still live," Sugawara paused, lifting two fingers and placing them on Hinata's heart, "And that he was living, breathing, right beside you as you slept."

Sugawara extended his other hand with his palm up, and Kageyama placed his hand in Sugawara's. He placed Kageyama's hand the same spot as his own two fingers, taking them away; leaving only Kageyama's hand on Hinata's chest.

"He loves you as well, you know," Sugawara smiled, and Kageyama tilted his head, slowly but surely processing the information Sugawara seemed to be trying to tell him.

"If I take up two fingers worth of space in his heart, you take up a whole hand," He held up his two fingers, before pointing at Kageyama's hand, still resting on Hinata's heart.

Kageyama blinked, looking at Sugawara and back to his hand, watching the steady rise and fall of Hinata's chest.

Suddenly, it all clicked in his brain, and he flushed a light shade of pink— barely visible under the tinted sunlight that shone through the translucent material of the tent.

"The reality is that he's not in a good state right now, and he's passed the responsibility onto you for the time being," Sugawara said, two arms stretched out behind him as he leaned back, "And Shiratorizawa and Seijoh are probably looking for us to finish the fight."

Kageyama swallowed down his fear, a large, ugly, black demon that wanted to engulf his thoughts in a large flame of negativity.

"He trusts you Kageyama, and I'm not trying to pressure you or anything," Sugawara sighed, running a hand through his hair, "But anyone he trusts, we trust even more."

Kageyama nodded, pushing down all his uncertainty and ignoring it.

"It's a big responsibility, but if he trusts you with it, it means you can do it," Sugawara smiled, placing a hand above Kageyama's, two hands situated above Hinata's heart, "Besides, he loves you so much, he wouldn't put you in charge of anything he thinks you couldn't do."

Kageyama looked away, a small tear escaping his eye, and he used his other hand to hastily wipe it away.

"I'm sure Hinata wants to wake up as much as you wish for him to," Sugawara wrapped his other arm around Kageyama's shoulders, pulling him close.

"What if he doesn't wake up, Suga-san? Or worse, if he wakes up and I've failed him?" Kageyama sobbed into Sugawara's shoulder, and Sugawara pat his back slowly.

"He will, and you won't," Sugawara said firmly, and Kageyama's breath hitched, Sugawara's words filling him with so many emotions and none at all, yet the tears kept falling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So you were a pirate last time too, huh?" Sugawara asked after Kageyama had stopped crying, body fully turned to look at him.

"Yeah, a really ruthless one too," Kageyama shrugged, and Sugawara laughed, causing Kageyama to furrow his brow.

"The fact that you can admit you were ruthless means that you've moved on from your past," Sugawara grinned, ruffling Kageyama's hair, causing his bandana to fall off once more.

Kageyama smiled as well, realising that what Sugawara had said was half-true.

"Well, I don't think I'll ever fully move on from it—"

"At least you've tried, and that effort's not something a lot of people would put in if they were in a situation like yours," Sugawara smiled softly, patting Kageyama's head, "Well done."

"What's your past? Since we're on the topic and all," Kageyama asked, and Sugawara pulled away his hand, running a hand through his silver hair.

"Hmm, it's not all that interesting," Sugawara fell back onto the sleeping bag, fully laid down, "A villager whose village got attacked and Hinata saved me from drowning."

"Drowning?" Kageyama asked, and Sugawara craned his neck to look up, nodding as best as he could.

"My village was a water one, where the houses were built on large platforms of wood with stilts beneath it to balance," Sugawara explained, taking in a deep breath and exhaling loudly, "It got wrecked within moments, and I swam so far, I nearly died."

"But Hinata." Kageyama looked over at the captain beside him, chest rising and falling at a steady pace, a small smile creeping its way onto his face.

"Yeah, but Hinata," Sugawara laughed, sitting up. He sighed, looking at Hinata as well. "He'll wake up."

"Are you sure?" Kageyama asked, Sugawara taken aback slightly at his direct question; it was the first time Kageyama had ever questioned his acclamations.

"Honestly? Not really," Sugawara shrugged, looking down at the sleeping bag for a brief moment before looking back up with an uncertain smile, "But we can hope."

Kageyama decided not to push further, smiling as well as he turned his gaze from Hinata to Sugawara.

"Yeah, I guess we can."


	18. fight me, kiss me

  
"It's Shiratorizawa and Seijoh! Wake up wake up!" Yamaguchi yelled from outside Kageyama's tent, and Kageyama groggily sat up, his brain slowly processing the information before he finally realised that they were under attack.

It was barely five in the morning, and Shiratorizawa and Seijoh had found them looking for a fight.

Kageyama didn't know whether to feel complimented or confused.

"I'll be back," Kageyama kissed Hinata's forehead before he gathered his belongings and scrambled out of the tent.

Karasuno, Nekoma and Fukurodani crowded in the middle, standing around the fire that was situated in the centre of the circle of tents.

"We confront them together. Karasuno, Bokuto, Akaashi, Komi, Konoha and Sarukui, take care of Seijoh. The rest of Fukurodani and Nekoma, we'll take care of Shiratorizawa," Kuroo instructed, the rest of the pirates listening intently with determined expressions on their faces.

Kageyama slid his guns into their sheaths on his belt, fastening the fabric right above that. He tied his bandana around his forehead as he gently nudged Kuroo out of place, standing in his position instead.

"Remember that Ushijima is left-handed, so watch your right side," Kageyama said, the impact of his words clearly laying itself down on each of the pirates that stood around him.

Kuroo pat Kageyama's shoulder, a comforting smile on his face. "Bokuto and Akaashi, along with the infamous trio of Fukurodani, are all with you. Don't be afraid."

Kageyama nodded, nearly stumbling over when Bokuto jumped towards his, wrapping his arm around Kageyama's shoulder.

"Yeah! We'll all be with you, so don't worry!" Bokuto grinned, "Even Hinata, in spirit."

Kageyama felt a tear trickle down his cheek, but he wiped it away with a determined smile.

"Okay," He said, and the groups set out to battle.

 

 

 

 

 

"What happened to the selfish kid from back then huh?" Kindaichi shot at Kageyama, who was moving far too fast for Kindaichi's eyes to keep up. "Found a new crew and decided that you're better now?"

"Yes." Kageyama replied, deadpanned yet fierce. He jumped when he reached the edge of the boat, shooting a ring around Kindaichi, distracting him briefly before landing and dashing forward— knocking him over and pinning him to the ground.

"What are you gonna do, kill me?" Kindaichi smiled, a strange sincerity in his eyes, "I'm glad you're different now, Kageyama."

Kageyama smiled back— a genuine one at that— whispering his thanks and apologies and he knocked Kindaichi out.

Suddenly, he felt a weight tumble onto him, and Kageyama found himself pinned down onto the ground, unable to look up at whoever was pinning him to the ground as his back was facing upwards.

"You know, I never smiled when you were around," a voice said above him, and Kageyama immediately recognised it.

"And you do now?" Kageyama lifted his leg, kicking Kunimi off him, flipping over and pinning him down onto the ground, legs held in place by his heels and hands holding down Kunimi's arms.

"Yeah, I guess. Since you're gone," Kunimi mumbled, and Kageyama smiled.

"That's good. I'm glad," Kageyama said, confusing Kunimi with his lack of mall-intent.

"I see you've changed. I'm glad as well," Kunimi laughed softly, and Kageyama reluctantly knocked him out, tumbling onto the floorboards after and staring at the sky.

He sat up, slowly pushing himself off the floor to stand, when he suddenly finds himself tumbling towards the edge of the ship.

When Kageyama finally stopped rolling, his upper body is being pressed over the edge of the ship, balance threatening to give out and cause his body to fall into the ocean.

All be it, the water was shallow and easy to swim back up to the shore, but the fall itself was potentially fatal.

"Tobio-chan! How's Hinata?" Oikawa pressed his gun to Kageyama's temple, other hand pressing him against the edge.

"Unconcious," Kageyama said coldly, eyes searching for an opening. But, there were none.

"Hmm," Oikawa hummed, shifting his gunpoint from Kageyama's temple to his shoulder, a small smile on his face, "Perhaps you'd like to match?"

Kageyama watched as Oikawa's injured leg shifted uncomfortably, and he knew that the captain's leg was getting tired.

Kageyama lifted his own leg, using it to knock away Oikawa's. His leg gave out and Oikawa lost his balance, kneeling down on the ground momentarily before Kageyama kicked him down.

Kageyama fell onto Oikawa before he could recover, and pinned him to the ground, his own gun pressed into Oikawa's shoulder. He locked Oikawa's legs in place, so that he wouldn't sneakily knee him in his stomach.

"You're stronger than you usually are," Oikawa smiled, a playful tone in his voice, "You're fighting for him, aren't you?"

Kageyama looked away, making sure that he still pressed down on Oikawa with all his might, but the gun in his hand trembled.

"Oikawa-san." Kageyama looked back at Oikawa, who had a smile on his face and a mischievious look in his eyes, "Allow me to be selfish this once."

"As you wish," Oikawa grinned, "Send him my well wishes, okay?"

Kageyama spun his gun so that the handle faced outwards, and in one swift motion, he knocked Oikawa out, only leaving a small bruise at his temple.

He stood, fixing the bandana around his forehead as he stared at Oikawa's unconcious body that lay silently on the wooden floorboards of the ship.

Kageyama smiled.

"Okay, I will."

 

* * *

 

Hinata shot up, a searing pain spreading through his right shoulder as he did. He winced, hand flying to support his shoulder.

He looked around, eventually realising that the place where he lay was not his ship. Slowly, Hinata crawled out of the tent, and he recognised the circle of tents as Nekoma's base.

He could hear yelling and shouting from nearby, and suddenly only one thing— one person— filled his thoughts.

"Kageyama," he mumbled, voice raspy from the lack of water. Hinata stood, shoulder still leaving an aching pain whenever he moved, and he spun around, finding the tip of his ship standing taller than the trees.

He looked back in the direction where all the noise came from.

"I'll be there soon, Tobio," Hinata whispered, and turned back, beginning to run towards his own ship.

 

* * *

 

Kageyama called for his groupmates, gathering them slowly. All of them surrounded him, but he seemed to be missing two.

"Bokuto and Akaashi are still fighting," Konoha said, and Kageyama nodded.

Suddenly, a sword hits the mast right above Kageyama's head. All attention is turned to the opposite direction immediately.

"Akaashi!" Bokuto yelled, running towards Akaashi. He jumped on Akaashi's shoulders, and the vice-captain shot up, Bokuto jumping at the same time to maximise his height.

Iwaizumi merely watched as Bokuto fell down onto him with a smile, knocking him straight on his head with the handle of his sword.

Bokuto stood, staring down at Iwaizumi's unconcious body for a moment before spinning around and running towards Akaashi, a hand raised in the air.

Akaashi raised his hand with a smile, and the sound of their high-five was satisfying.

"We're ready to go off to Shiratorizawa." Akaashi spun around, fixing his hat and adjusting his coat.

"Then let's go," Kageyama grinned, turning on his heel and walking towards the edge of the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

"Glad you could finally make it!" Kuroo called as he crossed swords with the red-haired man that always seemed to target Kageyama.

Kageyama nodded, a smile on his face as he shot a bullet forward, and the group behind him dispersed to fight their own battles.

Once again, Kageyama's knocked over, tumbling to the unknown before the spinning finally stops and he's face to face with a familiar face.

"Kageyama Tobio, King of the Seas," Shirabu spoke, narrowing his hazel eyes at Kageyama.

"Shirabu, pleasure to see you again," Kageyama smiled.

They had known eachother from the village they had both grown up in, and they hated eachother.

Kageyama lifted his knee, hitting Shirabu's stomach, causing him to fall off Kageyama. He flipped over, pinning Shirabu to the ground, locking his legs in place like he had to Oikawa.

"Why did you run? News said that the legendary Kageyama Tobio disappeared from the pirate life for awhile," Shirabu smirked, hoping to bring up bad memories to make Kageyama vulnerable.

"I didn't," Kageyama frowned, knocking Shirabu out without hesitation.

He stood, taking in a deep breath, right before he heard running footsteps behind him. Kageyama turned and lifted his guns just in time, Ushijima's cutlass inches away from his face.

Ushjima frowned even more than usual, drawing his cutlass and attempting to stab Kageyama's leg, but he was more agile than Ushijima thought.

"Of course you'd be as swift as him," Ushijima grumbled, eyes glancing down at Shirabu's body on the floor before turning his attention back to Kageyama.

Ushijima dashed forward once again, causing them to return to the first position they had been in.

Ushijima pushed harder, and Kageyama felt the heels of his boots sliding on the floorboards, slowly going backwards.

Kageyama withdrew his guns, hopping back one step as he did so, the tip of Ushijima's blade barely scraping his nose.

He shot beside Ushijima's feet, keeping the man in place as he dashed forward, sliding between Ushijima's legs has he knocked the back of his knees with the handle of the gun.

Ushjima fell; and Kageyama stood, a sudden pain spreading through his chest, and he clutched his shirt as he bent over.

His shirt was wet, and when he looked at his hand, streaks of blood were painted across it.

"When?" Kageyama mumbled. He looked at his shirt clearly, shocked by the sight of a large cut across his chest.

"Realise the flaws in your defense, and you'll know," Ushijima said, and Kageyama looked up, eyes widening as he watched Ushijima slowly walk towards him.

Kageyama thought hard, before he finally realised where his mistake had been.

He had slid down past Ushijima, but also had simultaneously been cut by his blade as he went down— so focused that he barely even noticed the pain.

"All you leave are bruises and small cuts," Ushijima said, kicking Kageyama over and pointing the tip of his blade to his neck, "We make blood fall."

Kageyama coughed, suddenly realising that there was an aching pain in his knee, a dull pain in his back, another sharp pain on his arm; He had been ignoring all his injuries.

"Your captain's not here to save you now," Ushijima said, when suddenly a yell sounded behind Kageyama.

"Don't touch him!"

Ushijima looked up, shock in his eyes. Kageyama could have recognised that voice anywhere, but he refused to believe it was real.

The blade slowly withdrew from his neck as Ushijima shuffled backwards, but Kageyama was in too much pain to move.

He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and opened them once more.

He saw a small figure above him, with orange hair, a copper dagger, and large smile directed towards him.

Kageyama could only smile back.

Hinata landed on top of Ushijima, blade to his neck as Ushijima had done to Kageyama.

"I'm Hinata Shoyou, Sushine Captain of the Karasuno Crows, who came from the bottom of the ocean apparently," Hinata yelled at Ushijima, lifting his dagger high in the air, copper shining under the rising sun. "And I will defeat you."

He spun his dagger around, bringing the handle down and hitting Ushijima's head, punching him with his left hand as well for good measure.

"Hinata!" Kageyama yelled, bearing through the pain and inching forward towards his captain.

Hinata turned around, left hand clutching his shoulder, and grinned at Kageyama— all as his body slowly fell to the ground.

With what little energy Hinata had, he kicked away Ushijma's body, allowing his legs to slowly fall to the ground after.

Kageyama slowly stood, pain everywhere in his body, but he pushed through and limped his way to Hinata, finally collapsing once he managed to reach him.

They lay across from eachother, both panting heavily and soaked in sweat.

"When did you wake up?" Kageyama whispered, and Hinata blinked.

"About half an hour ago," Hinata whispered back, and Kageyama grinned, tears falling from his eyes.

"I'm so glad you're awake," Kageyama said through his tears, and he felt Hinata place a hand on his cheek, rubbing his thumb back and forth.

"I'm so glad you're still alive," Hinata smiled, inching foward slightly.

He leaned forward, and suddenly Hinata's lips were on Kageyama's, and then they weren't.

Kageyama laughed softly— even though it hurt so, so much.

"You should have done that after we were both clean," Kageyama lifted his hand slowly and placed it on Hinata's hand, keeping it in place on his cheek.

"I wanted to kiss you now," Hinata shifted his hand, sliding it to the back of Kageyama's neck.

"Why?" Kageyama felt his conciousness slipping away, but it didn't matter because Hinata had pulled himself towards Kageyama and nuzzled his head in his neck.

"Because I love you," Hinata whispered, and Kageyama watched as his eyes shut slowly and he fell asleep.

Kageyama wrapped his arm around Hinata's body, and in the middle of the ship, as the sun rose, he fell asleep with Hinata in his arms.


	19. awakening ; evolving

Kageyama opened his eyes, the room around him all too bright, so he shut them again.

He felt something in his arms shift around, and he opened his eyes once again.

He looked down, a familiar heap of orange hair squishing itself against Kageyama's bandaged chest, and he smiled.

Gently, Kageyama took his arms off Hinata, and sat up, looking down at his chest.

Bandages were wrapped around his whole chest horizontally, with three bandages above that going in a circle from his right shoulder, across his chest, and back to his shoulder.

He gently pressed the spot where he had been cut, a slight stinging pain spreading through his chest.

Kageyama winced, waiting for the pain to fade, before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing.

He walked over to the mirror mounted on the wall at the other side of the room, and examined his new state.

Bandages wrapped around his left knee, one on his right wrist, another few plasters on minor cuts across his face and legs.

"Are you badly hurt?" A voice croaked from the bed, and Kageyama turned to see Hinata slowly pushing himself upwards, back supported by the headboard of the bed.

"No, I'm fine," Kageyama smiled, walking towards Hinata, leaning down and placing a light kiss on his head, "Are you okay? You forced yourself to come after me."

"I'm aching a lot right now, but I'll be okay," Hinata smiled back, even his sightless eye glimmering with happiness.

Hinata's eyepatch sat on the bedside table, and Kageyama moved to take it and put it on Hinata, but the captain stopped him.

"I don't exactly like wearing it, it's a little uncomfortable sometimes," Hinata laughed softly, and Kageyama's smile slowly faded and as he sat beside Hinata.

"I'm sorry," Kageyama said, leaning forward and tracing his thumb across Hinata's scar.

"Don't be," Hinata grinned, taking Kageyama's wrist and setting it down on the sheets, "It's in the past."

The past was a strange concept to Kageyama. It had been there one moment, gone the next, and suddenly it all rushed back to him.

"Thank you," Kageyama whispered, taking in a deep breath, "For keeping your promise."

"I don't break promises," Hinata grinned, laughing.

"So what do we do now?" Kageyama asked, shifting himself further onto the bed so that he could bring his legs up and cross them, "Now that we've taken down Shiratorizawa and Seijoh."

"Well, we continue being pirates, and we wait for a new enemy to come!" Hinata took his dagger from his bedside table— all his belongings seemed to sit there— and he held it up, allowing the sunlight that shone through the window above them to reflect against the shining metal.

"So, a new chapter then," Kageyama said, looking over his shoulder to see the reflection causing a single ray of light to shine on the door, "A new beginning."

"Well, I guess," Hinata shrugged, placing his dagger back onto the table, "Or we could just call it our thing."

"Our thing?" Kageyama tilted his head, and Hinata nodded, taking Kageyama's hand and holding it to his heart.

"You know? The Sunshine Captain and King of the Seas set off with their crows on a new adventure everyday," Hinata smiled, slight worry in his eyes from calling Kageyama his old, infamous title.

"Has a catch to it," Kageyama laughed softly, "I don't mind."

"Right right?" Hinata grinned, a joyful cheer in his voice, one that Kageyama had greatly missed while his captain had been unconcious.

"What are we? By the way," Kageyama suddenly asked, and Hinata looked at him, confused.

"I suppose... The Sunshine Captain and his King of the Seas?" Hinata laughed, raising Kageyama's hand and gently pressing his lips to the back of Kageyama's hand, "If you will."

Kageyama looked away, flushing a hazy shade of pink, mumbling his answer in a flurry.

"What?" Hinata leaned forward slowly, and Kageyama turned too quickly, knocking their foreheads together.

Hinata groaned as he leaned back, rubbing the area of his forehead that had been knocked.

"I said of course I would!" Kageyama mumbled, the red area on his forehead merely blending in with the blush that dusted across his cheeks.

Hinata smiled.

 

 

 

 

 

"You know, I always thought I'd have to spend my entire life on that stupid island, with that stupid government, with that stupid boss," Kageyama muttered into Hinata's hair, the two of them having returned to their original position after a few minutes.

"Well, you're here now, with us," Hinata said, "With me."

"Yeah," Kageyama laughed softly, feeling Hinata nuzzled his head into his neck, "I'm glad."

"How did you become a pirate in the first place?" Hinata asked, and Kageyama shrugged.

"I remember living in a small village, and then Kitagawa Daiichi attacked," Kageyama chewed his bottom lip, "The captain at the time thought I had potential and took me in."

Hinata nodded slowly, taking in a deep breath.

"I admired the best sailor in my village— he went by the name 'The Little Giant'," Hinata whispered, as if reflecting to himself, "The day Kitagawa Daiichi attacked, he ran to me and spoke his dying words directly to me."

"Dying?" Kageyama looked down, and Hinata was nodding.

"He'd gotten badly injured, and he was on the brink of death," Hinata said, "Gave me the keys to his captain's headquarters on his ship, and told me to lead his crew."

"You? Did he know you personally?" Kageyama asked, and Hinata shook his head, orange hair brushing past his chin.

"I'd always wait for him when he came back from sailing, and he had seen me several times," Hinata smiled sadly, "He then told me that he was actually a pirate, and I was to try and fix his mistakes."

Kageyama froze, Hinata laughing in his arms.

"Evidently, I probably just made them worse, but I think I fixed his mistakes nonetheless," Hinata grinned, and Kageyama tilted his head— as much as one could tilt their head while lying on a pillow.

"The blood he shed, Tobio," Hinata whispered, "His mistakes were the people he had killed."

The room went silent for awhile, before Kageyama felt a tear go down his cheek.

"Aw, Tobio, don't cry," Hinata lifted his hand and wiped away a tear, "Sorry to bring up bad memories."

"No it's fine— It's just; am I a mistake?" Kageyama asked, and Hinata shook his head frantically.

"Of course not," Hinata sat up, taking a piece of tissue from the box on the table and patting away Kageyama's tears, "And even if you still think you are, I think you fixed that a long time ago."

"How?" Kageyama whispered, "How have I made up for everything that I've done?"

Hinata cupped his cheek, slowly leaning down and pressing a kiss to Kageyama's lips— their second kiss.

"You're here now," Hinata smiled, their foreheads pressed together gently, and Kageyama could feel Hinata's every breath, "And that's enough."

"Is it really?" Kageyama asked, and Hinata nodded slowly, looking towards the door as it opened, and the rest of the crew stood outside, Sugawara— who stood in the front— nearly falling over.

"I told you not to lean on me or the door would open!" Sugawara regained his balance, turning around and scolding the rest of the team.

Hinata and Kageyama laughed softly, and Hinata turned back to Kageyama, moving his hand up towards Kageyama's hair and ruffling the black hair that lay on his head.

"It's enough, Tobio. It's more than enough."


	20. final goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the final chapter of this au??? whAt??? 
> 
> acknowledgements at the end xx
> 
> and as usual,, the song to listen to while reading this final chapter is Jougen No Tsuki :> its a vocaloid song that's absolutely beautiful and i listened to it while writing this i cri

  
"Kageyama, Seijoh's here. Oikawa wants to see you," Yamaguchi pat Kageyama's shoulder, and he turned around, a confused look in his eyes.

"Is Hinata allowing this?" Kageyama asked, and Yamaguchi nodded.

"He told Oikawa that if he takes you again, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot both his knee and shoulder," Yamaguchi shuddered slightly, and Kageyama laughed softly, nodding as he stood from his bed.

He followed Yamaguchi out of the dormitories, over to the plank that connected Seijoh's huge ship to Karasuno's smaller one.

Iwaizumi stood at the other end of the plank, arms crossed and a slight smile on his face.

"C'mon Kageyama," he said as Kageyama walked across to Seijoh's ship, and Kageyama followed Iwaizumi to the captain's headquarters, where he signalled to go in while he stood outside by the door.

Kageyama gently pushed the doors open, and Oikawa sat in his chair, hands on the table supporting his head, and he smiled when Kageyama walked in.

"Tobio-chan," Oikawa said, "Feeling better?"

Kageyama nodded, and Oikawa pointed at the stool in the corner of the room, and he took it and placed it in front of Oikawa, sitting directly across him.

"So that battle was something, huh?" Oikawa leaned back in his chair, crossing his right leg over his left, "It was fun."

"It was scary," Kageyama said blankly, "But yeah, it was fun."

"Thank you for letting me be selfish," Oikawa genuinely smiled, and Kageyama smiled back, "Even though you knew I'd go a bit overboard during the actual fight."

"I appreciate you taking it seriously," Kageyama shrugged, and silence filled the room for a few moments.

"I won't lose next time, okay?" Oikawa grinned, and Kageyama shook his head.

"We'll continue winning," Kageyama stared straight into Oikawa's large, brown eyes, "So in your dreams, maybe."

Oikawa stared back, before laughing softly to himself, standing up and picking his hat from off the table. He placed it on his head, adjusting the feather, and proceeded to walk towards the door.

"See you next time, Tobio-chan," He ruffled Kageyama's hair as he walked past, and Kageyama took that as the cue to leave, so he stood from his stool and walked back out.

He waved goodbye to Iwaizumi, smiling as he did so. Kageyama walked back to Karasuno's ship, feeling the plank slowly shaking beneath his feet, and then disappear into Seijoh's ship once he stepped off.

Kageyama stood at the edge of Karasuno's ship, looking across to Seijoh's ship, where Oikawa stood at the edge of his ship and stared at Kageyama as well.

As Seijoh sailed away, they continued watching eachother, an unspoken promise held between the two of them.

_"I'll beat you next time."_

"Yamayama-kun, could you help lift the anchor?" Hinata skipped over, poking Kageyama's chest lightly as he asked.

Kageyama rolled his eyes with a small smile as he nodded, walking over to the anchor. In three pulls, he heaved the whole chunk of metal up onto the ship, and Sugawara laughed as he walked over, extending his arms for Kageyama to pass him the anchor.

"Still not as smooth as me, but an improvement nonetheless," Sugawara grinned, and Kageyama stuck out his tongue playfully as he passed the anchor to Sugawara.

"The goal is progress, not perfection, Kageyama," Sugawara smiled as he spun around, walking away with the anchor in his arms.

Kageyama heard his name being called, and he turned to see Hinata beckoning him over, standing with his legs wide apart and facing the main mast.

Kageyama sighed endearingly as he watched Hinata run towards the main mast, grabbing the latch on the rope near it, pulling it and flying up towards the sails.

He called for Kageyama to do the same once he reached the top, and Kageyama followed his steps, running and grabbing the latch before flying upwards.

He landed gracefully on the thin platform that steadied the sails, Hinata smiling as Kageyama slowly bent down, eventually managing to sit comfortably on the wood.

"Ready to begin a new adventure, Kageyama?" Hinata placed his hand on Kageyama's. Kageyama laughed softly and nodded, turning back and facing the oceans far and beyond.

"Though, I'm not sure I can leave my past adventures behind," Kageyama breathed, and silence stood between the two for a few moments.

"You don't need to leave them behind," Hinata said, a slight pain in his voice, "You use them to push you forward; keep you going."

Kageyama smiled, looking up at the sky where the afternoon sun shone down on them.

How wild, Kageyama thought, To have gone from a life in the office to a life once known on the seas.

As if he had read Kageyama's mind, Hinata laughed beside him, "You've gone from day after day behind a desk to night after night on sea."

Kageyama shrugged lightly, slowly leaning onto Hinata's shoulder.

If he had not taken the offer, followed his boss' orders, and if Hinata hadn't come back in time to find him, would he still be back in Miyagi?

Would he still be Kageyama Tobio, the one who had a past that was forgotten?

Or would he have met Hinata anyway?

Kageyama supposed it was far too late to find out, and it was a fate that Kageyama didn't want to know anyway.

All that mattered was that he was with Hinata, sitting on the sail of a ship with Hinata's arm around his shoulders and Hinata's bright orange hair brushing past his cheek.

All that mattered was Hinata Shoyou, the Sunshine Captain that did more than bring sunshine into Kageyama's life.

"Ready to go now?" Hinata whispered softly, as if sharing a secret that only Kageyama could hear.

Kageyama nodded, and Hinata grinned as he pointed forward, the signal for Yamaguchi to start sailing.

Bit by bit, the ship slowly gained pace, and eventually, the Sunshine Captain and King of the Seas were off on a new adventure.

Together.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahHHH i cant believe i actually finished a full-fledged au fic!! all the time i've been writing, i've always given up half way, either out of lack of time or fear that no one would read it anyway, or the usual reason of running out of inspiration and the demon that is writer's block.
> 
> buT FINALLY,, i have managed to finish a 20 chapter, 20000+ word long story!! i'm super proud of myself and this is a huge achievement for me, with each chapter about 2000-3000 words long;; such a huge diff from the days i spent on wattpad in 2015 struggling to write even 800 words.
> 
> my heart goes out to all that supported me through this journey:
> 
> \- my lovely friends in pretty setter network;; aster, aqua, siân, niki, sky, luna, madi, and everyone else that bothered clicking on the links i send even once ,, y'all are so amazing for making the effort to read this everytime i send a new chapter, thank you so much
> 
> \- the uLTIMATE legENds in volley!! network;; caelan and orion, i love you two loads and thank you for stickin around from chapter 1 
> 
> \- the one i ramble to about all my ideas, the one who's helped me develop this whole mess from the beginning, the best, absolutely lovely mattsun/nix, i love you a lot and thank you for dealing with all the late nights i spent screaming about this au on the phone to you, and for being my trusty proofreader <3
> 
> \- finally, to all the readers that have even just clicked on the story once, thank you for showing your interest. to those who stuck around, thANK YOU SO MUCH. it means so much to me and i'm so happy that you stuck around for the ride, no matter which chapter you started at; be it the first or the last or anywhere in between. 
> 
> i could never have done this without all of you, and once again, thank you so, so, so much.
> 
> this, and all my future works, is for you all.
> 
> -zenko (tumblr: thewritingloser)


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